Rock Soup Food Bank decided that while Wetaskiwin has a strong community presence of car-minded people, they were going to throw a drag race that had nothing to do with fancy vehicles.
In collaboration with Sexual and Gender Awareness (SAGA) Wetaskiwin, Rock Soup created a fundraising drag race, where participants would literally dress in drag and run—most in heels, down a stretch of main street which was blocked off for the event.
“A drag race sounds like racing cars. It has the car guy energy that Wetaskiwin has,” says Assistant Executive Director of Rock Soup Brandon Rehaume.
Rehaume says that the event that took place on Father’s Day was done, “both as a fundraiser and to engage the community.”
He also states that Rock Soup has a very fun, relaxed environment, and they wanted that to translate into their fundraiser. Multiple employees of Rock Soup participated in the race, most dressing in drag for their first time.
Following the drag race, participants in the fundraiser headed to Rock Soup where they continued their day in drag with a fundraising car wash for the food bank.
Rehaume says that the drag race and car wash was just one of many fundraisers and community engagements that Rock Soup has planned.
“We are hoping to be mush more engaged with the community this summer.”
Rock Soup plans to participate and help host a Pride event this July when provincial COVID-19 restrictions are lifted further and to roll out a ‘cycle together campaign’, which would see Rock Soup team members cycling around Wetaskiwin to collect monetary and menstrual product donations for the food bank.
shaela.dansereau@pipestoneflyer.ca
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