HCUW preps for Pig Kiss-Off

A porker's preparing himself for the inevitable: A kiss.

Last Thursday, candidates got to meet the 6-month-old pig who, between squeals and grass chomping, allowed itself to be petted.

The as-yet-to-be-named pig is under a lot of pressure. High Country United Way director Linda Slade is counting on the swine (and the High Country United Way Big Pig Kiss-Off) to ham up some serious cash. With its new fiscal year campaign goal of $550,000, no snout about it, United Way is feeling the stress.

The Kiss-Off is simple. Candidates (kissers, if you will) will set a fundraising goal. If their teams meet it, the candidate will have to kiss the pig (and pose for a Mountain Times picture). If they fail to meet the goal, the whole team will have to pucker up.

The initiative, which started last Thursday at a celebration complete with pork sliders, lasts through Nov. 30.

"Basically, it's our attempt to bring more and more people to the table and to the work we do with United Way," Slade said. "While we realize that a lot of people think that the United Way is strictly a fundraiser organization, we're not only that. We're about community needs and assessing those needs."

About the porcine volunteer, she added, "I promise we'll wash its little face."

For more information or to be a challenger, contact Slade at (828) 265-2111.

High Country United Way ( http://www.highcountryunitedway.org) is a community-based organization that develops human and financial resources in an effort to improve the quality of life in the High Country. Organizations served include the Hospitality House and the Watauga Chapter of the American Red Cross.