By Khalida Sarwari
As amazing as Michelin starred restaurants can be, sometimes the best meals are served on a paper plate or wrapped in aluminum foil and enjoyed while sitting on a curb underneath the sun and listening to a live band play.
Over the next five months, Saratogans and their neighbors will have nearly a dozen chances to do that at the Foodie Fun on the Run events hosted for the second year in a row by Saratoga Gateway Businesses. The series will run through Oct. 20.
“The main purpose is to help the nonprofits and engage the community and small businesses,” said Heather Durham, a community outreach coordinator for Alameda Family Funeral & Cremation.
Each Foodie Fun on the Run event will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. in the parking lot at 12341 Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road in Saratoga and will feature five or six gourmet food trucks and a band. Ten percent of each sale will benefit a designated charity. Admission is free.
Durham said she anticipates from 250 to 500 people at each evening. The May 19 event drew about 200 people and the average last year was 250 to 450. The first Foodie Fun event this year raised $600 for the Fire Safe Council.
Foodie Fun on the Run will return on June 9 with the Blues Angel Band and will benefit Saratoga Relay for Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.
Additional events include: June 23, featuring Synchronicity and benefiting Pathways; July 7, a benefit for the Audrie Pott Foundation and featuring the band Dolce Musica Jazz; July 21, a fundraiser for the Los Gatos-Saratoga Education & Recreation; and Aug. 11, The Friends of the Library will be the beneficiary and the S.U.E Self Underemployed band will perform.
Earlier this year, the Saratoga City Council allocated $1,440 in community event grant funding for the Foodie Fun on the Run. Durham said organizers won’t be able to use that money until July 1.
For up-to-date information, visit the Facebook page at facebook.com/SaratogaGatewayBusinesses.
