By Khalida Sarwari
A little chowder and a little music added up to a lot of support for the Saratoga Area Senior Coordinating Council when the “Foodie Fun on the Run” returned to the Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road parking lot at the Alameda Family Funeral Home on Sept. 22.
Sam’s Chowdermobile served plates of lobster rolls, and the musical duo Rebecca and Gary Parks performed at the event that was one in a series hosted by the Saratoga Gateway Businesses. Like at all Foodie events, this one was aimed not only at engaging the community and small businesses, but also to raise money for a designated charity. At each Foodie event, about 10 percent of the proceeds from food sales benefit a local nonprofit.
The Sept. 22 event was a fundraiser for SASCC, the nonprofit that runs the Saratoga Senior Center and Adult Care Center. The centers have been struggling to stay afloat in recent years, and SASCC has relied upon financial help from the community to run its programs and services. The Sept. 22 event raised $270 for SASCC, bringing the Foodie series total for the year to around $4,000.
Foodie events typically feature five or six gourmet food trucks and a band. The Sept. 22 event was no different, offering attendees not just lobster rolls, but Indian fusion cuisine courtesy of Chutney Mary, New Orleans fare from Louisiana Smokehouse and Waffle Amore, which makes sweet and savory waffles.
Earlier this year, the Saratoga City Council allocated $1,440 in community event grant funding for Foodie Fun on the Run, which kicked off in May. This year marks the second time organizers have hosted the fundraiser series.
The next Foodie event will be a fundraiser for the Audrie Pott Foundation, a nonprofit charity that focuses on youth counseling and support and provides art and music scholarships for South Bay high school and college students. The foundation was started by the family of Audrie Pott, a 15-year-old Saratoga High School student who died by suicide last year after three 16-year-old boys allegedly raped her at a party at a friend’s home in Saratoga.
The fundraiser will be held on Oct. 6 from 4 to 8 p.m. in the parking lot at 12341 Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road in Saratoga. Admission is free.
The final Foodie Fun event, a fundraiser for the Hospice of the Valley bereavement program, takes place Oct. 20.
For up-to-date information about these events, visit the Facebook page atfacebook.com/SaratogaGatewayBusinesses.
Food trucks, music and more at Saratoga’s ‘Foodie Fun on the Run’ events
