When it comes to chili, Joseph Richard isn't too picky.
It could be spicy, it could be mild, but if it's chili, it should be OK.
"I like spicy to a certain point, but not where your lips are falling off," Mr. Richard, 48, said with a laugh.
At the Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 314 on Saturday, he had a selection - 44 pots of chili in a wide variety of flavors. But sampling the different types was not the only reason he came to the organization's fifth annual chili cook-off in Scranton. He also wanted to help Stacy Smith, a mom of two battling a form of mouth cancer.
"It's a great cause," Mr. Richard said.
Event co-chairwoman Colleen Naughton said that for five years now, the organization has selected a member of the community to assist by cooking pots of chili and holding basket raffles, with the proceeds going to the family in need. All the food and raffle items were donated and bands and musicians who performed at the event all volunteered their time.
In the summer, the group does the same thing with spare ribs. Each event has raised between $2,500 and $5,000 for the beneficiaries and their families.
This year, Mrs. Smith, 42, and her family were the recipients. Her husband, Bernard Smith, 42, said he was blown away when he heard the Eagles would organize this event.
"We had no idea this was going to go on," Mr. Smith said. "It's great. The help, of course, is unbelievable."
Ms. Naughton said the FOE is a charitable organization at its core. Its motto, she said, is "people helping people."
"We appreciate all the donations," she said. "If it wasn't for our members and those who have helped, we wouldn't be able to do this."
Contact the writer jkohut@timesshamrock.com, @jkohutTT on Twitter