Dubois County YoungLife Named 2026 Beneficiary of 100 Cooks Who Care

Terry Fogle told attendees at OFS Corporate Headquarters in Huntingburg that Dubois County YoungLife is already hiring, and the organization now has a substantial funding mechanism behind that push. On April 4, organizers of 100 Cooks Who Care named YoungLife the 2026 beneficiary of a fundraiser that has not generated less than $209,200 in any of its four most recent active cycles and has exceeded $255,000.

The selection came after 12 Dubois County nonprofits made presentations to the organizing committee in January 2026. YoungLife qualified under both eligibility conditions: it holds 501(c)(3) status and had never previously received funds from the event, which launched in 2014 as 100 Men Who Cook and was officially rebranded as 100 Cooks Who Care in 2022.

Fogle, a leader with the county chapter, described how the proceeds will be put to work. The organization is in the process of hiring for the Jasper YoungLife position and plans to convert a part-time role to full-time status or add additional part-time staff. The longer-term objective is to push consistent programming beyond Jasper into Northeast Dubois and Forest Park, beginning with part-time positions that organizers intend to grow into full-time ministries. The expansion represents a direct service increase for teenagers across the county rather than a deferred infrastructure investment.

The fundraiser is presented by Old National Bank's Jasper market under President Chad Hoffman. The format places 100 community leaders at individual chef stations around a large event hall, each preparing a signature dish while guests circulate and tip their favorites. The chef with the most tips claims the Golden Spatula Award. In 2022, Alex Ernst and Nick Merkley, backed by Jasper Engines and Transmissions, topped that competition by generating more than $29,000 in tips alone. Live and silent auctions and an open bar run alongside the cooking.

The 2026 event is set for Saturday, September 12 at the Huntingburg Event Center, the same venue used in 2024. Pricing has not yet been announced; the 2024 event charged $100 per person or $800 per table of eight.

In the Jasper market, the fundraiser has now cumulatively raised more than $1 million since its 2014 launch. The 2024 event, which delivered $209,200 to the Southwestern Indiana Child Advocacy Center Coalition, pushed the total past that milestone. The 2020 event was postponed due to COVID-19, though $50,000 was still distributed to Mentors for Youth and Crisis Connection that year to sustain operations. The cumulative haul across Old National Bank's broader Indiana and Illinois markets reached at least $2.2 million in the event's first six years alone.

Dubois County YoungLife is part of a national ministry founded in 1941 by Jim Rayburn in Gainesville, Texas, now active in all 50 states and 98 countries and reaching nearly 1.5 million students through roughly 35,000 to 39,000 volunteer leaders working alongside paid staff. The local chapter already holds an endowment through the Dubois County Community Foundation, co-founded by Shane and Stacy Lindauer and Brad and Tara Popp, established June 3, 2014. The September proceeds, when they arrive, are expected to accelerate what that endowment alone cannot fund on its current timeline.

Ticket sales for the September 12 event will be announced through Old National Bank and 100 Cooks Who Care organizers. To connect with Dubois County YoungLife directly or inquire about volunteer opportunities tied to the expansion, call (812) 630-1257, email duboiscountyyl@gmail.com, or write to P.O. Box 517, Jasper, IN.