“During the pandemic, I was president of the Arts Council at the time, so we were all freaking out about what to do to stay viable. We have been encouraged to think outside the box with the businesses we are in. I saw all the food trucks popping up in the neighborhoods and thought about bringing them here, so we partnered with nonprofits in the area because we knew they were struggling too and we would accept donations for them,” Fulk said.
Fulk said he helped eight nonprofits in the first year of 2020 and raised between $4,000 and $5,000. In 2021, they’ve helped around 15 nonprofits and raised $5,000.
The agency is also doing a parking lot podcast on the same day that profiles the nonprofits on who they are, what they do, and what their reach and needs are.
“They loved the first year. There aren’t many restaurants around so it helped them to be able to help people during their lunch hours to connect and network. We’re the ones giving back to the community,” Fulk said. “Food truck vendors love it too. Some were very philanthropic and also helped raise donations.
Real Estate II, owned by Fulk, her husband Al, Lisa Smedley and Ryan King, has been locally owned and operated for 43 years to help people find and sell homes.
The Food Truck Thursdays program will be as follows:
April 7 – Eat and Keep Clark County Beautiful
April 21 – Poppy’s Smokehouse Café and NHP of Greater Springfield
May 5 – Eat and Project Jericho
May 19 – Griddles & Cheese and Second Harvest Food Bank
June 2 – Christian and Interreligious Brothers
June 16 – Diamond Dogs and Animal Welfare League
June 30 – Rudy’s Smokehouse and Springfield Arts Council
July 14 – Raging Bull and Saint Vincent de Paul
July 28 – Tommy’s Double Barrell BBQ and Break The Cycle
August 11 – Clark County Christian Brethren and Revivals
August 25 – Clark County Old School BBQ and Literacy Center
September 8 – Street Food by Chef Daryl and Clark County Heritage Center
September 22 – Poppy’s Smokehouse Café and SCYM
October 6 – Christian Brothers and PHI Beta Sorority
October 22 – Rudy’s Smokehouse and United Way
