CHAMPAIGN -- Every month, it seems as though somebody newly diagnosed with diabetes walks into pharmacist Andy Hudson's drugstore with a prescription.

And people often tell him they were surprised to find out their blood glucose levels were that high, Hudson says.

"There are so many people right now, several million in the U.S., that have diabetes that don't even know it," he adds.

The owner of Hudson Drug and Hallmark Shop in Paxton, Hudson is helping raise awareness and money for the diabetes cause by being one of seven candidates in Champaign County's 17th annual Kiss a Pig competition.

Kiss a Pig is a fund-raiser sponsored by the American Diabetes Association. Candidates compete by asking people to vote for them with a donation, and the highest fund-raiser wins the honor of kissing a pig at the closing party.

The pig is honored because insulin, the treatment that helps diabetics manage their blood sugar, was originally derived from pork pancreas glands. Only synthetic insulin is manufactured in the U.S. now, but beef and pork insulin is still made in other countries, according to the Food and Drug Administration..

Champaign's Kiss a Pig party will be held April 8 at the Refinery, with other fund-raising candidates including Kristin Breedlove from Victoria's Secret, Carle physician Brent Reifsteck, Ellen Reinhart of Prospect Bank, Steve Fiscus of Praireview-Ogden Junior High and two students from Champaign County area schools, Ashley Smith and Quinn Fisher.

Nicole Simmons, associate manager of the Springfield-based Greater Illinois Area chapter of the diabetes association, said this year's fund-raising goal is $75,000 for the 36 counties in this region.

The money will be used to help support Camp Granada, a camp for kids with diabetes held each summer in Monticello, along with research, education, advocacy, family support and awareness. Last year, 22 percent of campers at Camp Granada received financial assistance from money raised through Kiss a Pig, she said.

Hudson said Friday he's raised $4,000 so far, and has already practiced for possible victory by giving a pig a kiss on the cheek.

It was a customer with a diabetic daughter who asked him to get involved in this fund-raiser, he said, but he's thinking about all his diabetic customers along with all the people out there who don't even know they know they have diabetes.

"With proper screening, we can find that out, and have them treated for that before they get some of the symptoms of diabetes," he said.

KISS A PIG GALA

When: 6 p.m. April 8.

Where: The Refinery, Champaign.

Presented by: Toyota of Danville/Scion.

Includes: Dinner, complimentary beer and wine, live auction, silent auction.

Catering by Jim Gould.

Tickets: $65 each or $600 for table of 10.

To buy a ticket, contact: Nicole Simmons 217-875-9011, ex. 6643; nsimmons@diabetes.org.

For more information: Visit online http://www.champaignkissapig.com.