Burger Wars 2025 ups the ante for fundraising
This year’s Burger Wars event has 30 restaurants and counting lined up to serve specialty sandwiches during the month of July, with $3 from each burger going to L’Arche Sudbury, up from last year’s $2 per burger
This year’s Burger Wars event will up the ante when it comes to raising money for L’Arche Sudbury, with $3 from every burger sold going to the charitable organization.
This year’s fundraising goal pushes the goalpost from last year’s $26,000 to $35,000, event organizer Jana Schilkie announced during a kickoff event on Wednesday.
“It’s a great cause, and it also highlights the great restaurants we have in our community … and they’re being creative in their kitchens,” Mayor Paul Lefebvre told Wednesday’s crowd.
The group gathered outside of the L’Arche Sudbury offices on Lansing Avenue to launch this year’s efforts, which will see at least 30 restaurants sell specialty burgers to help raise funds.
So far, Schilkie said they have a bison burger, a buffalo shrimp burger and something dubbed a “Lamborghini Burger” lined up for this year’s festivities.
“There’s still time to register, so we want to encourage them to keep registering until July 1,” Schilkie said.
L’Arche Sudbury was founded in 1982, and consists of three homes and community participation supports programs where people with and without intellectual disabilities live and work.
“If you are disappointed with the human condition, come and talk to a L’Arche person,” capital projects co-chair Gerry Lougheed said during Wednesday’s launch. “After you’ve talked to that L’Arche person, you will see the beauty of life, you will see honesty, integrity and team building.”
Funds will go toward the L’Arche Sudbury capital campaign to construct a residential building at 2059 Bancroft Drive which they’ve raised approximately $2 million toward thus far.
The 25-unit building has been a decade in the works, chair Jennifer Cawley Caruso told Sudbury.com during Wednesday’s event, and would consist of 10 subsidized units for people with intellectual disabilities and 15 units to be occupied “by good neighbours.”
“We have a dream to have apartment accommodation for people who can live independently with good neighbour support and also a new gathering space — a hub for people to go out into the community but also partake in activities that are accessible to them,” she said.
Last year, the building’s cost was estimated at $24 million.
Fundraising is progressing, Caruso said, “but the money can’t flow until we have good government support, and we do not yet have finalized government support.”
They’re working with the city to help secure provincial and federal funding to help make the project happen, with Caruso commending Lefebvre with his efforts to work with them.
Burger Wars was the brain child of local philanthropist Mitch Speigel.
In 2019, Ricky-Lee’s Da Bomb Diner won, followed by The Food Truck in 2022. Last year, voters determined that the best burger was The Food Truck’s Brieberry Flambe Burger. The most creative burger was the Colonial Sports Bar Colonial Twin Stack Burger, and the Colonial was also determined to have offered the best service.
Participating restaurants/food trucks and reviews will be posted online at sudburyburgerwars.com, and the event will run throughout July.
By Tyler Clarke, SUDBURY.com
