CATONSVILLE, Md. — It's 4th of July weekend, and there's a battle in Catonsville—20 contestants versus four pounds of ice cream, all for a good cause.
WATCH: Catonsville ice cream eating contest raises thousands for critically ill children
"There's nothing more American than an eating contest, and so on such a hot day, ice cream is the perfect thing to eat," said Lauren Blake, the program communications associate for Believe in Tomorrow.
Believing in tomorrow's work could keep families together.
"A foundation for critically ill children," Blake said. "We have hospital and respite housing programs, and we serve critically ill children all over the world."
Making sure children and their families have housing when battling illness.
"It's very good cause," said contest winner Sean Yager. "I went through some medical stuff myself, so whenever I can do something that gives back."
Yager outpaced the competition in 15 minutes, taking home the first-place prize of $500.
His secret to success?
"I just put my head down and kept, kept shoveling," Yager said. "Some of the flavors, like peanut butter, are next to, like, a fruit flavor. They didn't necessarily go well together, but the ice cream is all really good."
The crowd for the inaugural event, Scoops for Tomorrow, was larger than expected. Blake said that next year they may need to find a bigger venue.
"I actually am surprised by today's turnout," Blake said. "This is definitely going to be a bigger and bigger event each and every year. The Catonsville community is huge and very close, and the more word spreads, the more people are going to come out."
Organizers said thousands of dollars were raised during the 30-minute event.
"It's really amazing," said Jon Reymann, the owner of Catonsville Scoops. "It's a testament to, I think, this community and kind of the it was a great cause that we were raising money for."
But it's safe to say that the first-ever Scoops for tomorrow was a sweet success.
