Twenty-one food trucks at eight Johns Hopkins locations helped raise money to support the institution's $2.2 million commitment to United Way of Central Maryland and provided different lunchtime options for employees, students, and passers-by. On Oct. 23, the fleet of food trucks from various restaurants and vendors offered menu choices ranging from gourmet burgers to cupcakes. The East Baltimore and Bayview campuses hosted 10 trucks, including Gypsy Queen and Iced Gems, and Homewood hosted four, including Busia's Kitchen and Great Cookie.
Image caption: Employees on the East Baltimore campus take a lunch break at KooperÂ’s Chowhound Burger Wagon, one of the participants in the inaugural Food Truck Frenzy, the first United Way event organized jointly by the JHU and JHM campaigns.
Image credit: Christopher Myers
In the event's inaugural year, each truck made a donation to the campaign, and the Maryland Mobile Food Vendors Association made an additional donation, making the day's total contribution $3,150. An estimated 3,000-plus people waited patiently in long lines to make a purchase, and even though some menu items ran out, coordinators from each location say they received positive feedback.
The Food Truck Frenzy is the first United Way event organized jointly by the JHU and JHM campaigns.
In 2013, it could include additional locations and become a multiday event so that vendors can visit more than one campus.
