Community members will have a chance to enjoy great local food and support a great local cause on Sunday in downtown State College.
The second annual Food Truck Rally in the Valley, benefiting the independent nonprofit Housing Transitions, will be held from noon to 3 p.m. on the 200 block of South Allen Street.
Morgan Wasikonis, executive director of Housing Transitions, said the success of the inaugural Food Truck Rally in 2017 made it an easy decision to hold the fundraiser again this year.
‘It was really great last year,’ Wasikonis said. ‘It was a little hot, but we had a great turnout, a lot of people. It’s just really good fun. The food trucks we had were awesome… This year we wanted to do it again because it was so much fun.’
This year will have more food trucks on hand, with a lineup including World’s Fare Catering, NOMAD Kitchen & BBQ, Brazilian Munchies, Doan’s Bones Barbecue, The Weiner Wagon, Real Taste Food Truck, Happy Dishes and more. There’s no admission fee and food trucks will be donating a portion of their sales to Housing Transitions.
Acoustic rock duo Hops & Vines will provide live music and there will be activities for kids. Attendees also will have the opportunity to learn more about and donate to Housing Transitions, which provides housing programs and support services for those in need throughout Centre County.
The Food Truck Rally will specifically benefit Centre House, which operates 24 hours a day year-round to provide shelter and food for Centre County individuals and families experiencing homelessness or crisis.
Centre House is a professionally-staffed program that offers not just immediate shelter, but connects residents with case managers and helps them work toward permanent, stable housing.
‘Centre House is mostly funded by community support — between the United Way, private donations, fundraising events,’ Wasikonis said. ‘So we have to do a lot of fundraising for the Centre House shelter every year. It is a 24/7, 365-days-a-year shelter and it’s professionally staffed, so it costs a lot.’
As part of the food truck rally, attendees can enter a raffle to win tickets to another Centre House fundraiser, a new signature event called Boots Band & Barn.
The benefit event, scheduled for 5 to 10 p.m. on Oct. 6, will be held on West Gatesburg Road at a newly constructed event barn, built over the past few years by the owner after the previous one burned down.
The night will include music from Strath Hanna and Pure Cane Sugar, food from Catering with Style by Dan Rallis and signature drinks by Big Spring Spirits, as well as a full bar. Also among the night’s entertainment will be a mechanical bull for attendees to ride.
‘The idea was it would be kind of one of those high-ticket items like a charity ball, but let’s not get all dressed up in fancy gowns. Let’s get dressed up in our jeans,’ Wasikonis said. ‘It’s that more casual look, but still with really good food and drinks and a band… It should be a beautiful night out in the country.’
Tickets for Boots Band & Barn are $150 and a limited number remain. Visit the Housing Transitions website for more details.
The annual Run for Shelter 5k also will return in November for a seventh year benefiting Centre House.
On Sunday, though, the Food Truck Rally will offer an opportunity to enjoy an afternoon in the community while supporting Housing Transitions and Centre House.
‘It’s a really good and easy thing for people to do to just come and enjoy the food,’ Wasikonis said.
