Who won the Pahrump Moose Lodge’s Kiss a Pig contest and how much did it raise?

Over the course of four weeks in March and April, the Pahrump Moose Lodge hosted its very first Kiss a Pig Campaign and this past Sunday, it was finally time for the official announcement of who came out as top Community Champion.

The Kiss a Pig Reveal Party took place the evening of April 26 at the lodge, which was filled with attendees all out to see just who would be planting a kiss on a tiny pig provided by RNG Farms. The buzz of anticipation could be felt by all and when the moment came, it was Michelle Nelson who was proclaimed the winner for bringing in the most donations to support her chosen nonprofit – Soroptimist International Pahrump Valley.

“I want to thank you all for being here and supporting our first ever Kiss a Pig Contest,” Moose Heart of the Community Chair Shannon Arimura told the crowd that evening. “At its core, the Moose Lodge is about four simple things: community, compassion, connection and impact. It’s about people helping people – building friendships, supporting families and giving back in ways that truly matter.”

Arimura went on to note that the funds generated by each Kiss a Pig Community Champion would be split between the Moose Lodge and the represented nonprofit, with the Moose’s portion going to help with its upcoming year of programs and initiatives. These include: building birthday boxes packed with all the essentials for a birthday party, which are given out to families that may otherwise not be able to afford them; providing candy and eggs for the large Easter at Simkins Park celebration; providing gifts at Christmas time; supporting seniors through Meals on Wheels; and much more.

“We are truly thankful to our amazing community champions for their outstanding commitment and dedication to raising funds and awareness for local nonprofits and for the meaningful impact they have made in strengthening the Pahrump community,” Arimura enthused. “We truly appreciate their willingness to step up, lead and make a difference!

“Despite their hard work, some of our champions struggled,” Arimura noted. “And because they worked so hard, I could not bear to send anyone home with less than $150. So, all champions, regardless of how much their portion of funding should be, are getting at least $150.”

Melodie Eleogram was the community champion for the Nye County Cinderella Girls program, raising $102. Raising funds for the Salvation Army was Brenda Pinion, which totaled $87. Ron Taylor represented Southern Nye County Search and Rescue, bringing in $142. On behalf of the Awkward Science 4H Robotics Club, Jennifer Riendeau raised $215. For the NyE Communities Coalition, Ryan Muccio generated $129.

Chanda Wieland represented Moose Heart and raised $270 and Moose Lodge President Jennifer Stauffer brought it $561 for the lodge. Saundra Fisher championed the Pahrump MLK Foundation and raised $352 while Avery Sampson of the Avery Project brought in $445. For NYESPACE, Charli Bruce collected $600 and Deanna O’Donnell backed Never Forgotten Animal Society, raising $739.

Coming in fifth place was Kayla Ball for No To Abuse with $936. Next was Laurie Olsen for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #10054 Veterans Food Bank at $1,000. Third went to Brent Kaucky, championing the Valley Electric Charitable Foundation with $1,340. Bill Dolan snagged second place with $3,258 raised for the Disabled American Veterans.

Taking top honors in the contest and earning the right to kiss the pig was Michelle Nelson, who represented Soroptimist International Pahrump Valley and raised a total of $4,998.

“I was honored to get first place because the prize of kissing the pig was definitely the icing on the cake!” Nelson told the Pahrump Valley Times afterward. “The pig was adorable! Her name is Precious and she absolutely lived up to her name.”

As to why she selected the Pahrump Soroptimist Club, of which she has been a member for just under a year, Nelson said she feels the work that the nonprofit does is well worth it.

“Soroptimist is a fabulous organization, they really do a lot to help and empower women and girls, to give them the tools they need to become successful in life. I thought this was a great way to raise money and bring awareness to that organization,” Nelson explained.

All combined, the community champions managed to raise $15,132 and because of the enormous success of this first-ever event, the Moose Lodge was able to increase the reach of the contest beyond the groups that were represented. Moose members voted to present checks to First Choice Pregnancy Center, the Pahrump Disability Outreach Program, the Nye County Valor Quilters, the Nye County Animal Shelter, the Nye County School District and RNG Farms, too.

Arimura and the entire Moose Lodge offered thanks to all the community champions and everyone who supported the Kiss a Pig Campaign, as well as to the raffle prize sponsors, AmeriGas, Desert Cane Distillery, Chanda Wieland, Bobbi Riggs and Laurie Olsen.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com