(ABC 6 News) – This week, the Austin community will start its 14th Paint the Town Pink campaign. Helping raise funds for breast cancer and other cancer research at The Hormel Institute.

This Saturday, the campaign begins with the “Dutchtown Jumpers Cook-Off.” With every year having a new food, this year it’s Swedish meatballs people will be cooking and tasting. Of course, there’s the Plunging for Pink Polar Plunge at the end of the month. Our rollercoaster weather has had event planners conflicted.

“We were actually meeting two weeks ago wondering what we were going to do for plunging because it’s been so nice out. And then we get to this weather, and then it’s like ‘Oh my gosh, I think we’re going to be fine.’ It’s been ironic. We were talking about it and it’s like there’s been a year where it was almost too cold almost to call off plunging.

“This year, it’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s been too warm we might have to call it off.’ I think we’re good now with this freezing weather that we’ve had,” said Daneka Wiechmann, the Paint the Town Pink Coordinator.

Wiechmann says she won’t be plunging. Instead, she’s on supervising duty. Regardless of the weather, that doesn’t stop Austin from coming together.

“It just is a wonderful feeling to be a part of something so big in such a small town and we do so much in these six weeks. I think that everybody is a part of it, it’s an emotional and amazing feeling to be a part of it.”

About $340,000 was raised in 2023.

Paint the Town Pink ends March 2nd with the VFW Dart Tourney. If you can’t make it to an event to help, you can always donate. For donation information and a full list of events, you can click here.