Hundreds eat food truck food, help others
8:53 p.m. PST November 13, 2015
Families, friends, dogs, babies, couples — people from all over Salem went to the Encore Glass parking lot Friday night to eat a variety of yummy foods from local food trucks. But in addition to being able to chow down, attendees were able to donate to a good cause at the same time.
Chad’s Smokin’ BBQ, Cryptic Cuisine, El Taco, Fusion, Island Girl’s Lunchbox, Jenuine Desserts, JT’s Food Truck, The Laughing Lunchbox, The Patty Wagon, Panino’s and Waffle Works Etc. gathered from 5 to 9 p.m. at Encore Glass, 1450 Front St. NE, and catered to the hundreds of people who attended. Within the first half hour, more than 100 people were hopping from one truck to another, anxious to eat.
At the end of the night, the truck drivers pooled their tips and donated them to the Boys & Girls Club of Salem, Marion and Polk Counties.
“We are super excited to be here,” said Augustine Razo, one of the owners of JT’s Food Truck. “We are having a blast!”
Razo, 28, said the experience was a dream come true for the company and they are thrilled it is going to a good cause.
“My kids play for the Boys and Girls Club,” he said. “We are always happy to help. That’s what we are all about — sharing and giving back to the community.”
Music played as people walked around, talked, ate and laughed. The food was as diverse as the attendees and those there appreciated that.
“We like food trucks because you can try a variety of things,” said Kevin and Jessic Severts, parents of one-year-old Nolan and three-year-old Kade. “You can have Vietnamese then walk somewhere else and get German food. But we usually have to go to Portland for food trucks.”
Encore Glass owner Todd Holcomb and his wife, along with Stephanie Sosa, owner and operator of Island Girl’s Lunchbox food truck, decided to organize the event just weeks ago.
Seeing as it was such a success, Holcomb said they plan to do more in the future, hopefully every three or four months.
In addition to the donations from the truck tips, 20 percent of every item purchased from Encore Glass Friday night was donated to the club as well.
Holcomb hopes to have nearly 20 trucks next time and said they haven’t decided if they will rotate which organizations they donate to or not, but he said part of the proceeds will always go to the Boys and Girls Club.
“They hold a special place in my heart,” he said. “You never know if one of those kids will be the President one day.”
No matter what, it was important to Holcomb that the event didn’t just gain exposure for the companies involved, but that it helped people in the process.
“I think if you have a business in a community, you should give back to that community,” Holcomb said. “When you give back, it pays dividends. The community can then better itself.”
npate@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6745, or follow on Twitter @Nataliempate
Natalie Pate 