Hogs draw winner grateful for reminder to buy tickets

By Mark Ribble

When Shayne Dumouchelle got the call from the Hogs for Hospice Committee last week, he was sitting in a hair salon waiting for his wife Melissa to finish her hair appointment.

“I was just sitting there looking at my phone and I didn’t recognize the number,” he said. “I’m glad I answered it.”

On the other end was Joe Oswald and the other members of the Hogs for Hospice board waiting to tell him the good news.

And that news was that he was $195,795 richer.

Melissa said she was a bit concerned when she saw Shayne answer the phone because they had a couple of kids travelling and thought something bad had happened.

“I told her I just won the Hogs for Hospice draw,” he said. “She didn’t believe me.”

Many who had purchased tickets anxiously awaited the posting of the winning number online on Saturday December 31, but Shayne was not one of them. He wasn’t sure when the draw was taking place.

In fact, he had just purchased the tickets Friday evening while the family the Hogs draw.”

The couple had purchased tickets in previous draws and had no luck, so they were expecting the same result this time.

The Hogs board crew met with Shayne, Melissa to help families and we’re also happy to help your family.”

The draw was boosted by the sponsorship of Double Diamond Farms and the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers.

The Holiday 50-50 draw amount eclipsed the previous two holiday draws by a wide margin, with last year’s holiday draw totalling $90,775 and the 2020 draw topping off at $114,050.

Of course, last summer’s draw surpassed them all, coming in at $587,125.

Shayne, 40, is a welder at Sellick Equipment in Harrow, where the couple currently lives.

“It brings it all full circle.”

Between Shayne and Melissa, they have five children and three grandchildren, and both said that the money will help loosen things up a bit financially.

“It gives us breathing room,” said Shayne. “I can pay off my truck and we’ve already been shopping for a new car for Melissa.” was on a bowling excursion.

He also has a dream to purchase a new motorcycle, so that’s still on the wish list and ties in well with the Hogs theme.

Oswald welcomed him to the ‘family’, so to speak.

“We had been in the States and decided to go bowling once we got back,” said Shayne.

“When we got to the bowling alley, Melissa reminded me that we needed to get some tickets for and some of their family at Erie Shores Hospice on Wednesday, January 4 to present the cheque.

“Just over $1.2 million has been raised over the past six 50-50 draws,” Oswald told the lucky winner. “All we wanted to do when we started this was

He has a connection to Erie Shores Hospice, having worked as part of the initial construction crew pouring the foundation for the building.

Stepping into the foyer of the Hospice building, he had a sense of familiarity wash over him.

“I was here to help pour the foundation,” he said.

“You’ve joined a great fraternity here,” Oswald told him. “It’s quite a club to be in.”

In the end of course, the big winner is Erie Shores Hospice, as board member Donny Pacheco pointed out before the cheque presentation.

“We’re equally excited that the Hospice is getting the other half of that prize,” Pacheco said.

Draw winner Shayne Dumouchelle accepts the giant cheque for $195,795 from the Hogs for Hospice board of directors at Erie Shores Hospice on Wednesday, January 4. From left are Donny Pacheco, Tim Iles, Benji Mastronardi, Joe Oswald, Shayne Dumouchelle, Brian Cornies, Kevin Safrance and Dave Hodare. Sun photo