Big John's Beef Jerky

10/12/2026

THE GOOD NEWS DOESN’T MEAN THE JOURNEY IS OVER

The news I received after surgery was better than I could have hoped for.

My treatment worked remarkably well, the surgery was a tremendous success, and no invasive bladder cancer was found in the pathology after surgery.

I have a lot to be thankful for.

But this journey is far from over In the next couple of weeks, I’ll begin chemo again. If everything stays on schedule, I still have roughly eight more months of treatment ahead of me.

At the same time, I’m still recovering from major surgery and slowly rebuilding my ability to work.

Big John’s is producing jerky again, but I’m nowhere near my normal workload yet. I’m also adjusting to some permanent, life-changing physical changes from the surgery and learning what my new normal will look like day to day. That recovery is about much more than just healing from an operation.

There will still be treatment days, appointments, recovery days and times when I simply won’t be able to work the way I normally do.

And while the medical news has gotten much better, the bills didn’t disappear with it. Medical expenses continue. Household expenses continue. Business expenses continue.

And for much of this year, my ability to earn the way I normally would has been significantly reduced.

When my sister originally started a GoFundMe for me, I resisted it. Asking for help is not something that comes naturally to me. It is almost as hard as going through all of the treatment. Well, not quite. But those who know me understand what I mean.

But I understand it a lot better now. I get emotional just thinking and writing about it. I am so humbled.

And the support I’ve received has helped give me something incredibly valuable: Time to recover and continue treatment without feeling like I have to push my body harder than I should just to keep up financially. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who has contributed.

If you’re able to contribute to the GoFundMe, my family and I would be extremely grateful.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/stand-with-bill-lenzer-as-he-fights-cancer

And if donating isn’t possible, sharing this post or the GoFundMe link helps too.

I am incredibly thankful that today I can talk about a future that looks much brighter than it did several months ago.

I’m going to keep fighting, keep recovering, keep working my way back — and, God willing, keep moving toward the day when this is all behind me.

Thank you for continuing to stand with me and my family.

Bill

For 25 years, my brother, Bill Lenzer, has poured his heart and soul into maki… Julie Lenzer needs your support for Stand with Bill Lenzer as He Fights Cancer

10/09/2026

🍂🥩 WE'RE BACK — AND HEADING TO CARLISLE TOMORROW! 🥩🍂

After a few weeks away while I recovered from surgery, we're excited to be getting back out to see our customers again!

Tomorrow, Saturday, October 10, we'll be at the AUTUMNFEST CRAFT & VENDOR SHOW at the Carlisle Expo Center!

🍁 OVER 100 VENDORS!
🍁 Fall decorations, handmade crafts & unique gifts!
🎄 Get a head start on holiday shopping!

And of course, we'll be bringing plenty of our handcrafted, slow-smoked beef jerky!

🥩 FREE SAMPLES!
🔥 8+ DELICIOUS FLAVORS!
💰 SPECIAL MULTI-BAG DEALS!

📅 Saturday, October 10
⏰ 9 AM – 3 PM
📍 Carlisle Expo Center
100 K Street, Carlisle, PA

It's been a challenging few weeks, and I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again!

If you're in the Carlisle area, come out, support over 100 small businesses, get some early holiday shopping done, and stop by our booth to say hello!

Your continued support means more than you know! ❤️

See you tomorrow!

— Bill

10/07/2026

WE HAVE A BIG REASON TO CELEBRATE! 🎉

I got some incredible news from my surgeon this week.

My surgery was a huge success, and my treatment has worked exactly the way we hoped it would.

So we’re celebrating at Big John’s with:

12% OFF YOUR ORDER
Use coupon code: CELEBRATE12
Limited Time ONLY - Through Sunday
www.Bigjohnsbeefjerky.com

And the timing couldn’t be better. We are caught up on orders, fresh jerky is being made again, and we’ve finally started rebuilding inventory. Production is still below our normal pre-surgery level, but we’re getting stronger every week.

As for the medical news, the pathology showed no invasive bladder cancer remaining. All 21 lymph nodes tested were negative, the surgical margins were clear, and the only bladder cancer found were two extremely tiny areas still limited to the surface lining.

I still have more treatment ahead of me, but this was about as encouraging a result as I could have hoped for.

So today, lets celebrate.

Fresh jerky. Orders caught up. Great medical news.

Use CELEBRATE12 for 12% OFF and celebrate with us.

Thank you for all the prayers, encouragement, orders and support you’ve given me and my family.

Bill
Big John’s Beef Jerky

10/04/2026

Surprise! I am setting up at Capital City Mall today from 11am to 6 pm. I'll be in the main hallway right in front of Yankee Candle.

09/26/2026

I’M HOME! 👍

Four days after the biggest surgery of my life, I was released from the hospital today.

And I’m very happy to say that the surgery was a success and my recovery so far is going better than expected.

I still have a lot of healing to do, and Big John’s production remains completely shut down for now. I’m still under physical restrictions that make producing jerky impossible.

But based on how these first few days have gone, I’m feeling very encouraged — and I’m hopeful the shutdown may end up being shorter than we originally feared.

I’m not going to rush it. Those of you who know me know that may be the hardest part. 😄

For now, my job is to rest, recover and heal.

I cannot begin to thank everyone enough for the prayers, messages, orders, GoFundMe contributions and support you’ve shown me and my family.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/stand-with-bill-lenzer-as-he-fights-cancer

The help you’ve given us is doing exactly what I hoped it would do — giving me the time and breathing room to recover without feeling like I have to rush back to work before I’m ready.

Four days after surgery, I’m home, I’m smiling, and I’m incredibly grateful.

Thank you for standing with me.

Bill

09/24/2026

A quick update from the hospital. ❤️

Surgery is behind me, but recovery is going to take some time, and production at Big John’s is paused while I heal.

My sister Julie started a GoFundMe to help us through this stretch. If you’d like to donate or simply share it, we would be incredibly grateful.

Thank you for all the prayers, messages, support, and kindness.

👉 https://www.gofundme.com/f/stand-with-bill-lenzer-as-he-fights-cancer

09/21/2026

Just got to the hospital. Today is the day. I will be having surgery to remove my bladder as part of my treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer

As difficult as this is for me to say, I am asking for help.

My sister started a GoFundMe for me shortly after I was diagnosed. At the time, I resisted it. Asking people for help has never come naturally to me.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/stand-with-bill-lenzer-as-he-fights-cancer

But I understand now why she did it.

For 25 years, making and selling Big John’s Beef Jerky has been how I support my family. After surgery, I could be hospitalized for up to a week, production will completely stop for a period of time, and I’ll have restrictions on lifting and repetitive motion when I come home.

Those are the exact things required to make jerky.

It could be about six weeks before I’m cleared to return to my normal routine.

The household bills, medical expenses and business expenses won’t stop during that time.

But my ability to earn a living largely will.

So if you are able to contribute to my GoFundMe, I would be incredibly grateful.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/stand-with-bill-lenzer-as-he-fights-cancer

Your support gives me something I badly need right now — time to heal.

It gives me the ability to come home from the hospital and concentrate on recovering instead of worrying about how quickly I can get back into the jerky kitchen.

I know myself. My instinct will be to push too hard and try to come back too soon.

Your support can give me the breathing room to listen to my doctors and let my body heal properly.

Before I finish, I also want to say thank you.

To our customers and fans — some of you have supported Big John’s for 10, 15, even 20 years or more. Many of you feel much more like family than customers.

Your support over the years, and especially since my diagnosis, has been incredibly humbling.

I also want to thank my family and friends for everything they have done.

Most of all, I want to thank my wife of almost 27 years. She is the best wife anyone could ask for. She is always looking out for me, always putting my needs ahead of her own, and she has been beside me every step of the way.

I love her more than I could ever put into words.

And I thank Jesus.

I truly believe I am here today because I listened when something told me to go to the doctor. And when the first treatment I was given didn’t seem right, there were two voices telling me to go back —

His voice and my wife’s.

Thankfully, I listened.

My sister had recently gone through cancer treatment herself and beat it. Looking back, I think she understood something before I did:

There are some things you simply cannot work your way through.

If you aren’t able to donate, I completely understand.

Sharing this post or the GoFundMe, keeping me and my family in your prayers, and continuing to support Big John’s as we work our way back all mean more than you know.

From me, my wife and my family, thank you for standing with us.

God willing, before too long I’ll be back where I belong — making Big John’s Beef Jerky.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/stand-with-bill-lenzer-as-he-fights-cancer

For 25 years, my brother, Bill Lenzer, has poured his heart and soul into maki… Julie Lenzer needs your support for Stand with Bill Lenzer as He Fights Cancer

09/20/2026

IMPORTANT PRODUCTION & INVENTORY UPDATE

As many of you know, I’ve been undergoing treatment for bladder cancer over the past several months. Tomorrow I will be having major surgery, and because I am the person who makes virtually all of our jerky, production will be paused for at least the next two weeks while I begin my recovery.

That means our current inventory is very limited, and once something sells out, we will not be able to make more until I’m able to get back into production.

We are allowing backorders on sold-out items. If any part of your order is backordered — including a flavor included in a Combo Pack — your entire order will be held and shipped together once production resumes and everything is available. You can check the individual product pages on our website to see which flavors and sizes are currently in stock or backordered.

I know this is an inconvenience, and I sincerely apologize. After 25 years of making jerky, stepping away from production for this long is something I’ve never had to do. Right now, though, I need to give myself the time necessary to get through surgery and start healing.

I am incredibly grateful for everyone who has supported Big John’s Beef Jerky over the years — and especially for the tremendous support you’ve shown me and my family since my diagnosis.

Thank you for your patience, your understanding, and most of all, your business and continued support. It truly means more to me than I can put into words.

— Bill

09/10/2026

it

🍂 BACK IN LITTLESTOWN THIS SATURDAY! 🍂

We had an INCREDIBLE day at the Strawberry Festival this spring, and we’re excited to be heading back to Littlestown for Fall Fest at the Grove!

📅 Saturday, September 12
⏰ 9 AM–4 PM
📍 165 Christ Church Rd., Littlestown, PA 17340

There’s a lot going on — live entertainment, hay rides, games, food, bounce houses, vendors, a car & tractor show, pie baking contest and more!

And of course, we’ll be there with plenty of Big John’s Beef Jerky, free samples, and lots of flavors.

🔥 Littlestown treated us incredibly well this spring — we can’t wait to be back!

Come hungry and come find us!

09/10/2026

🍁 DON’T MISS GRAY APPLE FALL FLEA THIS WEEKEND! 🍁

This is by far the biggest and busiest event we’ll do all year — and it’s only a couple miles from our shop!

📅 Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 12–13
⏰ 8 AM–5 PM both days
📍 Gray Apple Market
2950 Lewisberry Rd., York, PA 17404

We’ll be loaded up with Big John’s Beef Jerky, plenty of flavors, FREE SAMPLES, and multi-bag deals.

🔥 Come early — this event gets absolutely PACKED.

Look for the Big John’s Beef Jerky tent!