Pasta sauce fundraiser returns for a second year
By Tracy Ouellette
SLN Staff
A local sausage maker once again has spearheaded a fundraiser to benefit area organizations and kids.
Elena Bisabarros, owner of Hometown Sausage Kitchen in East Troy, in 2016 came up with the idea of producing locally sourced pasta sauce, which then could be sold by area non-profits to raise money.
The jars of Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce were produced using local tomatoes from Bower’s Farm in East Troy, spices from Michael Fields Agriculture Institute in East Troy and sausage from Hometown. East Troy’s Contract Comestibles, a small-batch canning and food packaging company in East Troy, made the sauce and canned it for resale. The FFA at East Troy High School was also involved with making the sauce and helped pick the tomatoes.
In total, 2,000 jars were produced for last year’s successful fundraiser.
Bisabarros said last year’s efforts were so well received, she decided to continue the tradition, and expand on it.
“This year three types of Pasta Sauce were produced,” she said. “We have Italian as last year, vegetarian with real parmesan cheese and vegan with only the vegetables.”
She said they jarred 2,000 of the Italian sausage sauce just like last year and 500 each of the vegan and vegetarian options.
“The East Troy High School FFA students picked up 2,500 pounds of tomatoes,” she said. “Then Lotfotl Farm and Rhorganics provided the rest of the tomatoes, these ones organic.”
The 300 pounds of onions used this year were from Bower’s and were cleaned by the East Troy High School FFA students.
“And the organic garlic, organic thyme and organic oregano were picked up by the students from Michael Fields,” she added.
Hometown Sausage Kitchen provided 700 pounds of its Sweet Italian Sausage for the Italian sauce and the product was once again manufactured at Contract Comestibles.
“We are opening up this opportunity to all local institutions that would like to fundraise,” Bisabarros said. “We also offer it to the business for donation dollars to your organization of choice.”
The sauces are $10 each and organizations selling them as a fundraiser receive $5 on each jar. East Troy High School FFA and Nature’s Classroom are selling the sauces as fundraisers.
All three sauces are also available for purchase at Shell Gas Station, East Troy Lumber, and Hometown Sausage Kitchen.
For organizations looking to raise money, Bisabarros said there are plenty of jars to go around.
“Anyone can be part of the fundraiser,” she said.
For more on how to sell the sauces as a fundraiser, contact Bisabarros at 262-642-3264.
“We hope that the East Troy community will appreciate and support the effort of the FFA students and the local producers who have contributed to this product,” she added. “It is a high quality product East Troy-farmed and East Troy-produced and all the money can stay in East Troy if we all open our hearts and pockets.”
