Utah
Utah food trucks prepare to face off to raise money for local charities
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SALT LAKE CITY — More than 25 food trucks are preparing to compete in Utah’s largest food truck rally to raise money for local charities.
The annual Food Truck Face Off will be held at Liberty Park on Saturday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. with the proceeds going to Fourth Street Clinic, the Children’s Center Utah and Utah Community Action.
The event will feature over 25 food trucks with a variety of cuisine competing to be this year’s champion, alongside live music and a beer garden. Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to win a Traeger grill and multiple grilling packages.
“We are so excited for this event. This is a time for all of us to come together to raise money for three wonderful causes,” said Joni Clark, the Children’s Center Utah’s director of development.
The Children’s Center Utah provides mental health care and services to infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their families. The extreme need for mental health services for children became more evident amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“A lot of people in the community don’t realize — and they’re starting to especially now with a pandemic — that young children that, really zero to 6-year-old age range, have mental health care and mental health care needs just like the rest of us, and we’re so happy that those stigmas are kind of breaking,” said Clark.
“But many of our children that come to the center are low- to moderate-income, and we never turn a family away for the inability to pay for services. As many people are aware of, mental health care services can be costly, and we don’t want anyone to feel like they can’t seek out help with pay being a barrier,” she added.
The Children’s Center Utah provides mental health care through licensed professionals, community resources and outreach, while also operating day treatments and a preschool. Money raised in Saturday’s event will be put toward covering the costs of families who are unable to pay.
“For nine years, Food Truck Face Off has consistently stood alongside organizations dedicated to tackling disparities,” said Eliot Steimle, Food Truck League general manager. “It’s really nice to focus on a single night where the food trucks are able to give back to the community that supports them.”
The Food Truck League works with approximately 150 food trucks each year, with a variety of operators or vendors. The cuisine of the trucks in the league varies widely, and trucks present Saturday will cater to almost any taste.
“I don’t know anyone that could not have at least something in that lineup that they like,” said Steimle.