The villagers have poured time and money into these poles, whose completion involves cutting down the wood and bamboo, constructing the poles, and hauling them into the central meeting space on the day of the festival. While people are usually only willing to contribute money but not their labor to temple activities, the qianggu festival always succeeds in mobilizing the entire township.
從孤棚與孤棧的木材、竹子的砍伐、製作，到搶孤當天將孤棧扛進會場，全都由庄民出錢出力。工商社會，在多數廟會面臨「出錢可以，出人沒閒」困境時，每逢搶孤，頭城地方卻依然是全鎮總動員。