2022 Brunswick Stew Fundrasier

Brunswick Stew Fund-Raiser

Raises $6000 for

Boys in Need of Support!



Boys To Men Mentoring Network of Virginia had another successful Brunswick Stew Sale on March 6, 2021! While the stew was cooking, we held a large outdoor mentoring circle. The young men and their mentors experienced a once-routine, but now extremely rare, opportunity

to connect in person.

In addition, parents/guardians, interns from the VCU School of Social Work, several sponsors of the event and representatives from three community partners, AT&T, RVA Paddlesports and Beyond Boundaries, participated in the circle. It was a glorious late-winter day and all were moved and deeply affected by the profound work that Steve Martin, Program Director, our mentors and our young men accomplish during a Boys To Men circle.


To learn how you can become a mentor or help in any way, visit www.btmva.org or call Steve at (804)615-7823.

     

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

THE MAIN INGREDIENT!


If you are in any way associated with BTMVA, or the Knights of Columbus of St. Michael's, you know Bill Carroll. Our "national treasure," Bill has been cooking Brunswick Stew and sharing it with family, friends and organizations for 30 years. For the BTMVA sale, Bill secures the sponsors, the volunteers and all the ingredients, closely guarding his secret family recipe. He is an active mentor and a board member of BTMVA. Above all, his concern for every one of our boys is genuine and from the heart. "Thanks" never seems adequate, but nonetheless, thank you, Bill Carroll! You are the main ingredient in our successful Brunswick Stew Sale!

We are grateful to the Knights of Columbus of St. Michael's Catholic Church, our many volunteers, and YOU, our community, for purchasing stew and supporting our efforts in connecting young men with strong, committed mentors.

THE HISTORY OF THE BRUNSWICK STEW

It all started back in 1828 on the banks of the Nottoway River in Brunswick County, Virginia, during a hunting party.

Dr. Creed Haskins, a member of the House of Delegates from 1839 through 1841, took a group of

 his friends on a hunting expedition.


While they were on the hunt, camp cook “Uncle” Jimmy Matthews stirred together the first impromptu mixture that has become known as Brunswick Stew.

The original thick soup was made from squirrels, onions, and stale bread. When the hunters returned, there was reluctance to try the new mixture.

However, the reluctance turned to demands for second and third helpings of the warm, thick stew. Recipes for the stew have varied over the years.


What began in Brunswick County, Virginia, has become a time honored tradition. Cooking a very fine Brunswick Stew, in Virginia, has also become a source

of pride among residents and has rewarded its citizens with many pots of hardy Brunswick Stew. Some have become Stew Masters after learning to

 cook thiswonderful stew from family members and friends. Chicken has replaced the squirrel in more modern cook pots, while vegetables, tomatoes,

potatoes, corn, and butterbeans have been added in varying portions.


The one thing that all cooks or Stew Masters agree on is that the stew, which is so thick it almost resembles a palatable paste,

is not done until the paddle stands up in the middle.