A cheque was presented to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Portage this past Wednesday by Mr. Mike's SteakhouseCasual.

The $3,493 cheque comes from the record breaking barbeque fundraiser hosted by Mr. Mike's at the end of July.

This is the second time Mr. Mike's i n Portage has hosted a barbeque in support of a local organization, with their first one being held in May in support of the Portage Animal Welfare Society. It didn't take much more than an hour either time for them to sell out.

"It was actually quite amazing," says Owner and General Manager Stan Killam. "To sell out that fast of over 400 Mike Burgers, to us and to head office, is just astounding."

The line-ups of cars were long, stretching well out of the parking lot at times, but folks were patient and an efficient system of pre-orders and the drive-thru helped things to run smoothly.

Killam says the Mr. Mike's franchise strongly believes in giving back to the community, noting this is something they are striving to do even amidst the pandemic. He says Mr. Mike's was supposed to be a sponsor of this year's Big Duck Race, but when that got cancelled he reached out to the organization about holding the drive-thru barbeque.

BBBS Executive Director Dawn Froese shares how it feels to have received the support.

"We're really excited. Mr. Mike's stepped up for Big Brother Big Sisters. We were struggling financially and this sure helps the bottom line. It helps us keep our staff on and be able to mentor kids coming into the new school year," says Froese. "These funds will go towards matching a child with a volunteer. We recognize that every child needs someone in their life who cares about them, beyond their parents and their family. And that's what we provide for children; enabling them to learn social skills, to develop decision making skills, all those things come with that as well."

Both Froese and Killam agree that the barbeque definitely put the 'fun' in fundraiser.