Veterans attend banquet and feast on exotic foods

Eight veterans, family members and volunteers anxiously looked at the hog’s testicle placed on the plate in front of them Saturday.

The extreme food-eating contest was one of the fundraising efforts by a faith-based veteran and family nonprofit during the third annual 10 CAN Inc. Banquet & Wild Florida Feast from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Fort Clarke United Methodist Church, located at 9325 W. Newberry Road. The eight participants in the contest chowed down on a serving of hog testicles, smoked grasshoppers, smoked cow tongue, squirrel brains and raw fish eyes while about 364 attendees of the banquet watched.

Andrea Reddick, a 32-year-old mother of five, gulped down the raw fish eyes faster than her competitors and told the crowd she would spend her $200 cash winnings on groceries.

Matthew Burke, founder and executive director of 10 CAN, said the idea for the contest stemmed from the organization’s use of outdoor recreational therapy to rehabilitate veterans and their families.

“When I was hurt in Afghanistan, I was told by one of the mentors that you gotta trim off all the bad stuff, focus on your roots and it’ll help you grow in your life,” Burke said. “Like pruning a peach tree.”

The banquet also featured a raffle and live auction with outdoor-themed items like a 75-pound bucket of honey bought for $150, a miniature bat house purchased for $140 and decoy ducks for hunting for $100.

Before the other activities, at about 6 p.m. 10 CAN served the attendees barbecue, and veterans and family members exchanged stories over dinner.

The first banquet held in 2014 was a Christmas potluck. Burke said he wanted to make the event’s theme revolve around the overall theme of the organization, which is to provide an outdoor experience to veterans and their families.

“That is something that will never go away. The outdoors will always be there,” he said.

Crystal Walter, a 32-year-old Gainesville resident, served for four years in the U.S. Air Force in New Mexico and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. Walter, who moved to Florida from Tennessee in March, attended the banquet to meet other veterans.

“I’m excited to make those connections and hopefully to interact with (other veterans) on a more regular basis so that we’re not just stuck at home all the time,” Walter said.

Andrea Reddick, 32, eats a mullet’s eye during an eating contest at the 10 CAN Banquet & Wild Florida Feast on Saturday.