GREEN COVE SPRINGS – The way Pastor John Sanders sees it, the only thing better than selling 300 Boston butts ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday is selling 600. That’s why he needs a couple of months to stockpile wood, charcoal and, of course, a lot of pork. Money earned by his annual cookoff will go toward rebuilding The Vineyard Transitional Center, a halfway house where Clay County Jail inmates can learn skills and find stability before transitioning back into society. As long as there’s a need to create a pathway to keep inmates from returning to jail, he’s willing to spend days making rub and surviving clouds of sweet smoke.

“Each butt takes seven hours,” he said. “It takes a lot of time to make something taste that good.”

Sanders will start accepting orders for the fourth annual cookoff on Sept. 24 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the future site of the Vineyard’s new home. The pre-sale party includes ordering, free food sampling, live music, games and T-shirts for sale. Orders will be accepted until the first week of November, Sanders said.

The Vineyard, which was raised with plans to be rebuilt, is located at 518 N. Pine St. in Green Cove Springs.

Once it’s completed, The Vineyards will be able to temporarily house as many as 32 men. Not only will they get food and board, but they will also attend a variety of life skill classes. This year’s Boston butt program is fittingly called, “I Like Pig Butts and I Can Not Lie.”

To order a Boston butt, visit John Sanders’ Facebook page, or call Sanders at (904) 305-4641, Joseph Smith at (904) 343-1869 or Amy Brownfield at (904) 465-6923. Carter Q Catering will do the smoking, including volunteers James Padgett, Jimmie Weeks and Bill Clayton.

Butts cost $35 each and can be picked up on Nov. 18-19 – a few days before Thanksgiving on Nov. 24.

Sanders said several residents pay extra money so the Boston butts can be delivered to food pantries and nonprofit organizations that provide shelter for the needy.

“A lot of people also buy them for Thanksgiving,” he said.

Sanders is committed to serving the community. He is passionate about the transitional center because he wants to help break the cycle of crime and arrests.

“I grew up always wanting to help people in the community,” Sanders said. “It is part of my DNA. You know, I love God, and God said to give back to people.”