Bank of St. Francisville customer Luke Guarisco wears a lot of hats. He runs Ouray Capital Management from an office based in Baton Rouge—but that’s just his day job. On the weekends, things get interesting.
Luke’s true passion lies with Hogs for the Cause, the massive, New Orleans-based food festival and fundraising event, which returns April 10–11, 2026. Founded by New Orleanians Rene Louapre and Becker Hall in 2009 out of a desire to support families with children battling brain cancer, the annual two-day behemoth at the UNO Lakefront Arena Festival Grounds harnesses the irresistible draw of barbecue culture, with Louisiana’s passion for live music, scores of teams competing in categories like “Whole Hog,” “Ribs,” and “Pork-Pourri,” and the goodwill of tens of thousands willing to open hearts, appetites, and wallets to assist kids and families in need. Today, Hogs for the Cause attracts over ninety cooking teams, three music stages featuring twenty bands, and upwards of 30,000 attendees. To date, Hogs has distributed more than $15 million in direct financial grants to over 2,300 families and hospital investment projects all over the country.
Giving to and fundraising for Hogs since 2015, Luke (a member of The Hog Hall of Fame for his charitable efforts) now lends his talents to Swine Krewe, a competitive barbecue team that has won two grand champion titles. Swine Krewe also happens to be incredibly effective at fundraising.
“Hogs does such a good job managing what they raise and giving it to families that are battling pediatric brain cancers,” explained Luke. “The grants given out to the families help ease the pressure and burden at a time when any sort of hand-up to help is impactful during the most stressful times of their lives. It makes me very proud to be a part of an organization that does such good work, day in and day out.”
"Bank of St. Francisville makes a difference in every community that they serve by supporting non-profits that are involved in giving back to the underserved, especially to children." - Katie Minor Bliss
A commitment to supporting good causes runs deep amongst Bank of St. Francisville’s customers and leadership alike. Baton Rouge attorney Katie Minor Bliss served as Hogs for the Cause’s Director of Development from January, 2020 through March, 2024, and is a member of BSF’s Baton Rouge Advisory Board. As Hogs’s Director of Development, Katie spearheaded a $2.25 million campaign to build a Hogs House at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge. Built on the campuses of hospitals that serve pediatric brain cancer patients, twelve-bedroom Hogs Houses are multi-million-dollar homes that provide free housing for families with children who are receiving ongoing treatment. According to Katie, more than $1 million of the funds for the Our Lady of the Lake Hogs House were raised through community engagement and fundraising events in the Baton Rouge community, and gifts from locally based supporters like Luke.
“Every time I've reached out to the bank to support anything in our community, the answer has been ‘absolutely, yes’—whether it's for Hogs for the Cause, or the Knock Knock Children's Museum,” Katie noted. “They're here to support not just someone like me, who is on the board, or a customer, like Luke. Bank of St. Francisville makes a difference in every community that they serve by supporting non-profits that are involved in giving back to the underserved, especially to children.”
According to Whitney Boyd, Vice President of the Bank of St. Francisville and a Retail Banking Officer, the bank’s leaders believe their “responsibility goes beyond financial services.”
“Supporting charitable causes is an investment in the people and neighborhoods we serve,” she said. “With dedicated advocates like Katie and Luke, who have given so many years to this cause, we’re proud to stand alongside them and help strengthen the community we all call home.”
The 18th Hogs for the Cause festival takes place April 10–11, 2026. Learn more at hogsforthecause.org.
To support a Hogs House campaign, visit hogsforthecause.org/hogs-house
