Mentored kids get food, fun and baseball

By Morgan M. Hurley | Downtown Editor

Local restaurateur and philanthropist Phil Pace is once again teaming his popular eatery, Phil’s BBQ, with the Padres and the Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of San Diego County, to bring a day of joy to the children of deployed local military service members and their supporters.

In its fourth year, “Phil’s BIG BBQ” will take over the large, open parking lot located at Imperial and Fourth avenues Downtown – just adjacent to PETCo Park and the main Trolley station – and throw what BBBS calls, “one of the largest tailgates on the West Coast.”

Held Monday, August 6 this year, the doors will open at 4:30 p.m. and the BIG BBQ will end just in time for the Padres to take on the Chicago Cubs at 7:05 p.m. at nearby Petco Park.

Attendees will get a full plate of Phil’s popular BBQ, including chicken, ribs, two sides, and more.  Also joining the fun will be Ben and Jerry’s of Seaport Village, a beer garden hosted by Karl Strauss, a 7-11 Slurpee Truck, face painting and an obstacle course from Kid Ventures, and music provided by Magic 92.5, who will be streaming their late-afternoon show live from the parking lot.

Tickets to the tailgate party are $25 and include a seat for the game. Those with season tickets or anyone who already has a ticket for the night’s game but want to participate and donate to a worthy cause can also attend the tailgate for $20. Phil’s donates 100 percent of proceeds to BBBS of San Diego County.

“It gets bigger and bigger every year,” said Chad Glidewell, Director of Sales and Marketing for Phil’s BBQ, of the annual event.

Over 2,300 pounds of ribs are expected to be served to the more than 3,000 people attending this year’s pre-game fundraiser and Glidewell said they hope to exceed the $54,000 they raised for the mentorship program last year.

Also courtesy of the sponsor, 1,000 “littles” (children of deployed, soon-to-be deployed or returning from deployment military members) will also be in attendance along with their “BIGS,” receiving both a hot meal and an evening at the ballpark, which is expected to be a first-time experience for many of them. Just before the game, one of those lucky “littles” will be selected by BBBS to deliver the first game ball out to the pitcher’s mound, to kick-off the game.

The August event is always held on a Monday, and Glidewell said the reason for that has become two-fold. Initially, Monday was easier because it is the one-day of the week that Phil’s was closed and Pace himself could attend.  However, after a handful of employees donated their time to help out that first year and returned to work to gush over their experience, Glidewell said over 100 employees signed up to volunteer the following year and 150 will do so this year. Now Monday has become a necessity to the organizers, but having that many trained staff onsite ensures a smooth operation, and that is a plus.

According to a promotional video on the BBBS website about Phil’s BIG BBQ, the “ball delivery program” indirectly brought Phil’s and the kids of local military families together.  Pace, who has never used traditional advertising methods the 14 years he has been in business, explained in the video that he was looking for ways to help underprivileged kids and turned to the Padres’ ball delivery program.  He said the Padres soon told him about the military mentorship program and Phil’s BIG BBQ was born in 2008.

The fundraiser has since raised almost $200,000 for the local chapter of the international charity, an organization that overall has mentored millions of disadvantaged children in its 51 years of existence.

 BBBS mentors military kids

Children growing up in the constantly changing world of a military family have difficult lives, but children with parents who deploy for long periods of time have it even more challenging, especially if a parent returns from deployment with added stresses or any physical or emotional injuries.

The Big Brothers and Big Sisters (BBBS) of San Diego County decided to do something.  Launched at Camp Pendleton in September of 2004 by then First Lady of California Maria Shriver, Operation BIGS was designed to help these elementary school-age children.

“[Operation BIGS] gives an added layer of stability and support and enhances the children academically and emotionally,” said Tina Rose, Marketing Director for BBBS of San Diego County.

The local program has since become the model for the national BBBS’s “Military Mentorship Program,” and is now championed by First Lady Michelle Obama and Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden, as part of their focus on military families.

Operation BIGS supports the five elementary schools located on Camp Pendleton and uses community center locations within each of the Navy and Marine Corps housing areas closer to Downtown.

All monies received from this year’s BIG BBQ will be used by Operation BIGS to recruit, screen, and train new BIGS, as well as match them with a suitable “little.” Participants are asked to donate an hour of time per week to their matched child.

“We also ensure [participating] children are safe by providing supervision of the weekly visits and ongoing follow-ups with the families,” Rose said.

“We always need more volunteers. Active duty, reserve, retired and civilian are all encouraged to participate. Take a chance to be a kid again.”

Those interested in learning more about Operation BIGS can sign up at the BIG BBQ event, visit their website at sdbigs.org or call (858) 536-4900.

Mission Hills to mission nothing’s impossible

Phil’s BBQ first opened its doors in a modest space on Goldfinch St in Mission Hills in 1998. As the smell of BBQ wafted through the neighborhood and word spread about it flavor, lines began to sprawl farther and farther around the block, as customers and their eager palettes patiently waited their turn inside.

Soon their catering business exploded, and they eventually outgrew their small location.  In 2007 they moved to a new building in Point Loma that quadrupled their former size and put them on the national map and allowing them to further expand to San Marcos in 2010.  They are now planning a third location at Santee’s Trolley Square in early November.

According to Pace, rather than investing in advertising over the years, he and co-owner Jeff Loya opted instead to donate thousands of dollars to sponsorships like the BIG BBQ and other philanthropy efforts over the years.

This past April, Phil’s was one of 30 restaurants chosen around the country for the Food Channel’s “Best Sandwich in America,” hosted by Adam Richman.  Their El Toro tri-tip BBQ beef sandwich took the West Coast title, gaining the highest score in one of the 10 regions competing. Find out if the El Toro can take the national title in the final round on Wed., August 15 at 6 p.m. PST.

To get tickets to Phil’s BIG BBQ on August 6, visit philsbbq.net or stop in either Phil’s BBQ restaurant.  Tickets will also be made available at the event.

Morgan M. Hurley can be reached at [email protected].