For over fifteen years now, the Jernigan family has been giving back to the Graceville community with an annual tradition known as the Pig Pickin’. The event takes place at the Jernigan Farm on Sanders Avenue in Graceville. The Jernigan Family hosts the Pig Pickin’ to award scholarships to Baptist College of Florida (BCF) students that are new on campus and in the community. With joint efforts from the Jernigan’s “church family”, Pastor Dr. Naethan Hendrix and the First Baptist Church congregation, the Jernigan family awarded these scholarships while providing a deliciously home-cooked meal that brought out “149 people” this year, said family matriarch Priscilla Jernigan.

The Pig Pickin’ began with the beloved family patriarch Mr. Joe Jernigan, who made quite an impact on the community and his family during his time on Earth. Mr. Jernigan began this family tradition to put into practice his life motto, “If you are blessed, bless other people,” explained his wife, Mrs. Priscilla Jernigan. Through the Jernigan family businesses, “Arnold Lumber Co. and Jernigan Forest Products,” the family has been “very blessed and wanted to give back to [their] local community” to show gratitude for the support their businesses have received over the years explained Jernigan. From that came the Pig Pickin’, an event founded in moral character and gracious servitude that reflects the Christian compassion of the late Joe Jernigan, through traditional southern hospitality.

Carrying on this beautiful tradition is Jernigan’s son, the current president and CEO of both family businesses, Mr. Chris Jernigan. Chris Jernigan tantalizes tastebuds with his roasted whole hog cooked in a North Carolina-based sauce. A little flair of detail that reflects where the family lived before settling into the Graceville community many decades ago. While the hog was infused with Golden State flavor to savor, the rest of the Jernigan family and the First Baptist Church congregation also brought a smorgasbord of fixin’s to round out this traditional southern style potluck.

BCF president Dr. Clayton Cloer and his wife Linda Cloer came out and enjoyed the festivities showing their support to this year’s Pig Pickin’ Scholarship winners. All BCF freshmen students that came to the event received a ticket with a drawing number. Then, four winners were drawn at random to receive a cash scholarship of $2,500, as a Jernigan Family welcome to the Graceville community.

The four students that accepted the scholarships with gratitude this year were Kimberly Button, Philip Biser, Angelina Halstrom, and Cher Moo. Chris Jernigan noted that they “were excited to be able to give away four $2,500 scholarships this year,” doubling the number of scholarships they awarded during last year’s Pig Pickin’. The Jernigan family gave special thanks to all that attended, making this year’s Pig Pickin’ a huge success. Gratitude was also given to students and the BCF community, Dr. Robin Jumper, Dr. Naethan Hendrix, and the First Baptist Church community as well as the Graceville community.

Traditional values and community connection are clearly important to the Jernigan Family. Chris Jernigan explained that the family enjoys “welcoming new students to town the old fashion way.” Which is why the Jernigan’s welcome BCF students to the community in a way that does not include digital communications but instead places significance on authentic human connection through traditional interactions. The Jernigan family is a staple of traditional community involvement by holding fast to the truest form of southern hospitality, keeping a place for newcomers at the dinner table.

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