BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Poppi’s Pastrami honors the death of their pig, Daisi Mae, with “Daisi Mae’s Donation Day”– where local businesses came out to show support and raise money towards Pig Luv Co.
- Daisi Mae’s Donation Day raises money for pigs.
- Poppi’s Pastrami brought together local businesses to honor their pig, Daisi Mae.
- The event took place on June 9, 2024, with plans of making this an annual event.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Misti Cole opened up Poppi’s Pastrami in 2021, naming the family run food truck after her first rescue pig. The logo includes her other pigs– one of which is Daisi Mae.
“She loved meeting people, she loved making people smile. So I know that she would want to honor and help other pigs,” said Cole. “Someone had found her on Highway 99 and we went and rescued her and I kept her and she was a part of the family.”
The family rescued her back in 2020. But this May, Cole said Daisi Mae suffered from a brain lesion. She rushed her up to UC Davis, but sadly, there wasn’t anything the veterinarians could do.
“Today is called Daisi Mae’s Donation Day, it’s in honor of my pig,” said Cole.
At the Brickyard-Downtown, Cole coordinated with numerous local businesses to raise funds towards Pig Luv Co. Mini Pig Rescue and Sanctuary.
These businesses included:
- Poppi's Pastrami & More
- Topped & Loaded
- Pura sabrosura Aguas
- Mondoughs
- Los Chinos
- Wetzel's Pretzels
- Tony's Snowtime
- Los Tlaxcaltecas
- Sabor Taino BBQ
- B-Town Burgers
- Crusader Brewing
- Electric Embroidery
Maggie Raney, founder of Pig Luv Co., said her inspiration to start the non-profit was when she fell head over hooves with one of her pigs.
“There’s a lot of rescues that can provide good information,” said Raney. “If people could just reach out to those folks and give them their best life.”
When Raney first got her pig, Piddy, she said she did not do the research at the time. But it didn’t take long until she started doing some digging.
“Once I started doing research, I realized that she needed a friend,” said Raney. “And so we started making changes in our lifestyle and changes in our location to accommodate that. And we got a couple of pigs and then somebody threw a gremlin in the ocean and we started getting more and more pigs and we started Pig Luv Co.”
The rescue now educates other pig owners as Piddy’s legacy.
The money raised at Daisi Mae’s Donation Day will help Pig Luv Co. continue their nutrition programs, general maintenance, and even spaying or neutering pigs.
“Most of the time they will develop reproductive cancers. It’s a really horrific death and it’s totally avoidable,” said Raney. “So today, it’s definitely gonna go towards six spays because a spay for a pig is between $1,200 and $1,500 per pig.”
These life-saving measures are made possible with the support of Poppi’s Pastrami and local food vendors.
“There’s a lot of animals that need help and there are organizations willing to help them,” said Cole. “We just all need to come together as locals and just help out wherever we can.”
To help fill the piggy bank for Pig Luv Co., visit their website pigloveco.org.
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