I honestly thought Steve -- my husband and PRFC partner extraordinaire -- was nuts when he said we should build a human foosball arena and hold tournaments to raise money to support our organization's mission to connect people in need with sources of healthy food. I knew exactly what he was talking about: he and I caught our first glimpse of human foosball in action the first year we went to Winter Carnival in Quebec City. People were having a crazy good time knocking the ball around, whooping it up, trying to score goals and beat the other team. And they were just playing for the sake of playing! But could we get people here in Piscataquis to play? More important, would he really be able to build that thing?
The answer to both questions was YES! We took the arena out for its first whirl back in March at a little event we threw for kids at the Piscataquis Fair Grounds. It was a hit right from the start. Well, it was a hit after we convinced a few people to get in and give it a try. Not surprisingly, a lot of folks were a little skeptical. But once they jumped in and got playing, that was it! We ended up with one continuous game that went for almost an hour as people tag-teamed in and out to let each other give it a go. It was a ton of fun -- and we knew we had a winner!
This past Saturday we brought the arena out again up in Milo at the Bissell Brothers Tap Room -- this time for a full-on human foosball tournament and for PRFC's first official annual fundraiser. We had organized teams, prizes, even a trophy! -- and we raised more than $3000 from players, spectators, and corporate donors. Once again, everyone had a blast! So much so that they all said they can't wait until next year's Winter Tourney. Neither can we! Hunger and food insecurity is a serious problem in Piscataquis - and, sadly, all around Maine and all around our country. All of us at PRFC are deeply grateful for the generous donations we received this weekend to help our neighbors and friends get the healthy food they need. It's tough work -- all the more reason to have some fun along the way.