MONROE — Crimestoppers held its first barbecue 18 years ago on Jan. 15 to raise money for anonymous tipsters. It has since given thousands of dollars to locals who aided in the arrest or conviction of a criminal.

The next fundraiser will also fall on Jan. 15, and the cooks are already crunching numbers to see how much pork is needed.

Ray Cook and his son, Rusty Cook, run Cook Farms Produce LLC. Their specialty comes from 1,000 acres of squash, but Ray Cook has cooked barbecue for Parkwood High School’s booster clubs for more than 20 years.

Last year’s Crimestoppers barbecue called for 1,500 pounds of pork and 930 pounds of turkey tenders.

Crimestoppers treasurer Lou Helms said it served about 2,500 people and made $8,300 after expenses. That was an off year, Helms said.

Reid Helms, a retired captain with the Monroe Police Department, helped organize the first barbecue with James Reddish and the late I.B. Shive.

“There was some people who thought we couldn’t make any money in a barbecue because there were so many barbecues,” Helms said, “but we’ve been successful ever since.”

In a 1992 contest, Reid Helms sold 1,200 tickets at $5 each, raised $6,000 and won a pump shotgun. In 2009, just 18 years later, Crimestoppers gave out approximately $5,000 to informants — almost as much as Helms raised that first year.

Anonymous informants whose information leads to an arrest or conviction are awarded up to $1,000.

“It does seem to be getting bigger,” Union County Sheriff Eddie Cathey said. “People like good barbecue.”

Sales were down some last year because of the economy, Cathey said, but the barbecue is Crimestoppers’ only source of cash. The sheriff hopes it will pick up this year.

Cathey, who will don an apron and serve barbecue, said many crimes are solved through Crimestoppers tips, from drug-related offenses and larcenies in school to break-ins and murders.

Maureen O’Boyle, an anchor for Channel 3 News in Charlotte, will also be there to serve.

The barbecue will be held at the Agriculture Center, located at 3230-D Presson Road in Monroe, from 11 a.m. to around 7:30 p.m. or until event coordinators run out of barbecue. Tickets can be purchased from the Sheriff’s Office or any Union County police department. Delivery is available for orders of 10 or more.

The Crimestoppers 24-hour hotline can be reached at 704-283-5600.