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Barbecue supports organ and tissue donation

Riley Beatty and his family continue to do their part to get the message out about the need to be an organ and tissue donor. The Beattys held a free lunch for organ donors Saturday afternoon at Dun Rite Glass in Estevan.
Organ donation
Riley Beatty from Beats Eats cooked pulled pork during a barbecue to support organ donation on Saturday.

Riley Beatty and his family continue to do their part to get the message out about the need to be an organ and tissue donor.

The Beattys held a free lunch for organ donors Saturday afternoon at Dun Rite Glass in Estevan. The family operates Beatz Eats and the Rolling Stove Grill food truck, and so they served up pulled pork to those who dropped by who are registered organ donors.

People could leave a donation that will be directed to the Transplant Trot in Regina on June 22.

Beatty’s brother Adam received two liver transplants in his life and was also a big advocate for organ donations. Adam Beatty died in 2015 at the age of 30.

“Once he passed away, we went along and did a 5K transplant trot in memory of my brother in Regina, because that’s where he lived. We’ve been doing it ever since he passed away,” Riley Beatty said. “We just like to raise awareness and donate a little more money wherever we can.”

Riley Beatty won’t be walking in the benefit this year. Instead he’ll be serving up food to all of the participants.

“Everything that we’re going to feed everybody up there is going to come from me again, and I’m not going to accept any money unless it’s to the Regina Transplant Trot.”

Last year he estimates they donated about $1,500 to the Transplant Trot.

The community has been very supportive of the Transplant Trot in the past. Last year marked the first time they had a free lunch for organ donors in Estevan, and he believes they gave away more than 100 burgers.

And while it was a cool, windy day in southeast Saskatchewan on Saturday, he expected to serve a lot of pulled pork sandwiches.

“So far the community has already donated far more than what I even expected,” said Beatty.

People register for the Transplant Trot as individuals. They can also sign up as virtual walkers, which means they won’t walk, but they will make a donation.

The Transplant Trot has grown quite a bit over the years.

“There’s probably about 30 of my family members who show up out of the 60-70 people that go, and hopefully we get 100 this year. Hopefully I have to cook for 200, so the more, the merrier.”

Also at the lunch on Saturday, Beatty had lots of information on organ donations and people who they called “past heroes” – those who helped save the lives of others because they donated their organs. Among them was Logan Boulet, one of the members of the Humboldt Broncos who died in the bus tragedy last year, and inspired many to be organ donors because he signed up to do so just weeks before the accident. 

Kendra Memory at St. Joseph’s Hospital provided the Beattys with the pamphlets and other information on the benefits of organ and tissue donation.

Beatty noted he continues to see more awareness and support for the need to be an organ donor.