Painting Pigs, Building Community: Hope’s Entry into Pigmania

Community members at Graceworks’ Hope Community in Madison, Indiana have found a way to give back to the community–via pig. 

Hope Community’s decorated pig, ready for display at Ribberfest.

Every year, participants from organizations and community groups around the region “adopt” and decorate pig statues for Pigmania, an annual event at Ribberfest. The pigs are then collected and taken downtown for display and judging..

This year, an anonymous donor adopted a pig on behalf of Hope Community, and community members had a chance to decorate it and enter it into the contest. They worked together to decide on the theme, choosing a “Golden Years” design and then decorating the pig before it was picked up and delivered to the contest.

Proceeds from Pigmania adoptions and fundraising are awarded in the form of a scholarship, to qualifying Jefferson County High School or College students. And while the Golden Years pig did not win the contest, it presented an opportunity for neighbors to work together to support a fun and supportive community event.