For two hours on the afternoon of May 9, 2016, food truck operators gave away food to the homeless and other members of the community.
The vendors, members of the RDU Mobile Food Association, set up in the Salvation Army parking lot on Capital Boulevard. They began feeding people at about 5:00 pm, and two hours later, they had served almost 300 meals.
The food truck “rodeo” was a sort of “thank you” from the truck operators to members of the community, who have been supportive of the mobile eateries. Gus Megaloudis, who owns Gussy's Greek Street Food, said that community is one of the truckers' core values, and operators wanted to show their patrons they appreciate the business. This is the second truck rodeo for the RDU Mobile Food Association, of which Megaloudis is outreach director.
All of the food truck operators agreed it was a privilege to serve their customers. Ernest Harris, who owns Chick N Cue, said it was not about the operators, but about the people, and especially about giving them good food.
While the food was free to the homeless, the public could also buy the goodies. A quarter of the proceeds went to the Salvation Army's various programs.
City officials might like to work with a flyer printing company to create a mailer for residents, explaining the event and listing the date of the next rodeo.
