This Sunday, October 11, the Kol Ami Congregation of Flower Mound hosted their first ever Food Truck Fest fundraiser. The fest had 16 different food trucks featuring a variety of cuisines in addition to 40 vendor booths and a kid zone with bounce houses. Funds raised from the event will go toward the Kol Ami fund as well as a selected nonprofit organization in the community.

Rabbi Geoffrey Dennis explained that the “essential purpose [of the event] is a fundraiser, but also an opportunity to create a social space in Flower Mound.”

One of the vendors at the event was Becca Lauchner of Trades of Hope—an organization helping to empower women in developing countries. At the event, she sold jewelry made by artisans in 3rd world countries. Along with other vendors, Lauchner noted that the event had a “steady stream of people throughout the day.”

Food Truck festivals have popped up all across the nation as a fun, family-friendly way to raise  money and help foster a sense of community. However, Flower Mound has never had its own event. The Kol Ami Committee, under the lead of David Nicolato, modeled their fest after that of a congregation in Dallas. As a small congregation, Rabbi Dennis didn’t expect the 6,000 people that expressed interest in their event on Facebook to actually turnout.

When his committee first approached him with idea, Rabbi Dennis “wasn’t among the true believers, but [he] is now.”

With such a high turnout, a few food trucks weren’t prepared to accommodate the large demand. Some visitors took to social media to voice their concern with the long lines and heat, however, most visitors had enjoyed Kol Ami’s first Food Truck fest as a whole. The Kol Ami committee hopes to continue this tradition within Flower Mound in the future. Check their Facebook page for any updates on future fundraisers.