Jason and Julie Shepherd often get asked about their tattoos.
What do they mean?
Why did you do it?
Does it hurt?
And the Port Moody couple will have an interesting back story when people inquire about their latest ink.
The two Save-On Foods employees raised close to $4,000 for B.C. Children's Hospital (BCCH) after pledging to tattoo the organization's logo on their arms.
"For us, it is a way of supporting Children's Hospital forever," said Jason Shepherd. "When people ask me what my tattoos mean, this is one I can point to."
Save-On Foods has long been a supporter of BCCH and the store the couple works at in Lynn Valley on the North Shore has encouraged them in their fundraising effort.
But for the Shepherds, the organization they chose to support has special significance.
Julie Shepherd's cousin lost a child at BCCH and two of the couple's close friends have had children treated at the facility.
Feeding off that motivation, the two blasted through their original fundraising goal of $3,000, with many of the customers at their store helping out with donations. They raffled a signed hockey jersey and asked customers to round up their bills for the charity.
But the item that got the most attention was the promise of the tattoos.
"I don't think a lot of people believed we'd actually do it," Julie said. "Now, they are all waiting to see them."
Christina Christie at Black Rabbit Tattoo Studio in Port Moody volunteered a couple hours of her time and on Tuesday the work was done.
Julie opted to put her BCCH tattoo on her forearm while Jason, whose body is already significantly covered in ink, found some room above his elbow.
While the Shepherds' fundraising effort has come to an end, they encourage people to go to the B.C. Children's Hospital website and continue to donate. For more information, go to www.bcchildrens.ca.
