The Los Angeles Times recently reported on an unusual fund-raising event at an LA area public high school—food truck night.
Public schools, just as private schools, are having a hard time managing costs through the turbulent economy. (They might even be having a harder time, as they’ve been hit hard by budget cuts and have limited influence over mandatory basics.) Everyone is struggling, looking for a new way to entice people to share part of their income.
Whitney High School has found an interesting solution to help subsidize their budget—weekly food truck events.
The old stereotype of greasy lunch trucks seems to be fading. New T.V. shows such as Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race portray food trucks in a different light—as a fresh, healthy alternative to packing your lunch. Of course, not all lunch trucks are gourmet, as the ones on The Great Food Truck Race are. There’s always going to be that questionable pizza truck parked on a back lot somewhere in the city closest to you. But, there’s also a healthy selection of specialty trucks parked out there waiting to be discovered—or invited to your school’s next fund-raising event.
Whitney High School is saving for a new multimedia center. The LA Times reported that typically schools make $50 a week from the event (which only runs for a few hours), but it’s small change that adds up quickly. Bryan Glonchak, Assistant Principal at Whitney, said in the article that since the beginning of the school year, they have raised $2,000.
Outdoor food courts like the one Whitney High supports are popping up all over southern California. At least a dozen schools across the southern half of the state host weekly events. Some schools charge a flat set up fee for the trucks (typically 10 trucks at a time), while others ask that the vendors donate what they want to the school.
In Orange County, Fullerton High School hosts truck nights like this every six weeks. From four fund raisers they’ve hosted this far; they have reported earning $13,000.
At Taft High School in Woodland Hills, they use the proceeds for college scholarships. Last year, a number of seniors were rewarded with $5,000 awards raised from food truck events.
Additional ISM articles of interest
ISM Monthly Update for Development Vol. 9 No. 7 It’s Auction Time!
Additional ISM articles for Consortium members
To The Point Vol. 13 No. 6 The Donor Cultivation Cycle and Your Annual Fund
