2012 Battle for the Paddle attracts thousands

$30,000 raised for United Way

Additional Images

With 99 teams cooking jambalaya or gumbo, United Way of St. Charles kicked off its fundraising campaign with the 11th annual Battle for the Paddle cook-off on Thursday, Oct. 4, at the West Bank Bridge Park in Luling.

The Battle for the Paddle is held to mark the beginning of United Way of St. Charles annual campaign to raise funds that support local programs and agencies serving St. Charles Parish.

"We really enjoy this event because it brings the community together and creates a lot of excitement going into our annual fundraising campaign. Our goal this year is zero— meaning we want to raise enough money so that no one goes without the services needed in our community," stated John Dias, UWSC Executive Director.

Cooking began at 11 a.m., and the public was invited to join from 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Over 3,500 attendees came out for unlimited sampling of the area’s best gumbo and jambalaya and live entertainment, the largest crowd to date. The Battle for the Paddle event raised $30,000 for United Way of St. Charles.

The 2012 winners of the Battle for the Paddle include:

Jambalaya

1.
Cornerstone Team #1, Cornerstone Chemical Company

2.
Bayou Bandits, Norco Manufacturing Complex

3. #1 Rabadeaux, Marvin’s Electric

 

Gumbo

1.
Gumbo Smiths, Valero St. Charles Operations

2. Covenant Cooks, Covenant Church

3. Roux Makers, Monsanto

 

People’s Choice Awards

Gumbo: Covenant Cooks, Covenant Church

Jambalaya:
1st Crew & Associates,
Crews & Associates

United Way of St. Charles also recognized its "Pacesetter" companies who held their United Way fundraising efforts before the official kickoff to help generate momentum for the campaign. The Pacesetter companies include Dow St. Charles Operations, Monsanto, Valero St. Charles Operations, OxyChem, Norco Manufacturing Complex, Momentive Specialty Chemicals, St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, Waterford 3, Cornerstone Chemical Company, St. Charles Council on Aging, and St. Charles Community Health Center.

For more information about United Way of St. Charles and how you can get involved, visit www.uwaysc.org or call 985-331-9063.

To see photos of atendees at Battle for the Paddle turn to page 8B.