A food truck in Columbus is getting a new lease of life as part of a mission to nourish those in need both physically and spiritually.
The former D&R Chuckwagon will now be used as the Taste + See Mobile Eatery, an endeavor of Michelle and Dave Purcell.
Sisters Rita Fuhr and Dorothy Graybill started the D&R Chuckwagon several years ago. Graybill’s husband was disabled and the building where the Eagles Club was located at the time did not have adequate facilities for disabled people.
They raised funds by auctioning off food from the back of a pick-up truck. They raised enough to put a chairlift in the building and used the remaining amount to buy a mint colored vehicle. They continued to sell food and donated the proceeds to help with causes that supported the Eagles.
However, the D&R Chuckwagon hasn’t seen much action in the last couple of years.
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“The truck is pretty much sitting because the auctions have been done online. We didn’t have an auction that we went to,” Fuhr said. “And now we’ve just been helping the Eagles with family dinners and other parties.”
While the sisters said they’ve enjoyed the people they’ve met over the years operating the D&R Chuckwagon, they’re looking forward to the truck’s new purpose.
According to the Purcells, God has a purpose to help those facing food insecurity.
“We’ve had it on our hearts for a long time to give to those who are hungry and so God really put it on our hearts that it would be a food truck. But how we were going to get a food truck, we had no idea,” he said. Michelle.
Michelle then called her neighbors: Fuhr and Graybill. He said he asked them about the process of running a food truck and the necessary requirements.
“Michelle said to me, ‘Pray for God to drop a food truck from the sky,'” Dave said, laughing.
With the D&R Chuckwagon gathering dust, Fuhr and Graybill decided to allow the Purcells to use the vehicle.
“They didn’t have to spend that much money to see if it was going to work and our truck at that point was sitting,” Fuhr said. “We have all our licenses recovered for next year. And so they have a whole year in which they can work with our license”.
The goal, according to Michelle, is to help families who may have difficulty being able to eat.
“We really hope that the food insecurity that many families here in the city are dealing with will be addressed. We know that there is a high percentage of students in the school system that receive free and reduced lunch, so we know that food insecurity it’s a real problem for a lot of families,” Michelle said. “Our hope is to be able to nourish them physically and also show them the love of Jesus, nourish their souls as well.”
Michelle said they have been receiving donations so they can serve brunch to families in need at no cost to the families.
“We chose Saturday lunch because we think the children’s families get school lunches Monday through Friday. We thought Saturday would be a good day to help the families with food,” said Michelle. “We also want to meet people. The joy is meeting people and just visiting them and knowing that someone cares about them.”
Michelle said Taste + See Mobile Eatery will begin serving meals in October at an apartment complex. They’re not sure how many people to expect, Michelle added, but they’re preparing about 120 meals.
“We want to go to the same place six Saturdays in a row, to be able to establish relationships. And after that, we’ll see where God takes us,” Dave said.
Michelle added that there is potential to go many places in Columbus.
“We’re going to see how God expands this ministry,” Michelle said. “We’re really hoping for a lot of community involvement. Not just 1C volunteers, but the whole community so we can reach a lot more people.”
To help raise funds for Taste + See, a tailgate fundraiser will be held on Friday, October 7th at 1C – The Sanctuary, 2200 28th Ave. in Columbus.
“It’s the Nebraska Rutgers football game. So we’re going to have a burger in the parking lot starting at five. There’s going to be the game in here on the big screen,” Michelle said. “And we’ll have bounce houses for the kids and raffle items. It will be a very fun event for all ages. It will be a free donation and then all of those donations will go to the Taste + See Mobile Eatery.
Michelle added that raffle items are still being collected, but the biggest item so far is a life-sized cutout of Bigfoot. A member of the 1C church made it and donated it to the cause.
Anyone interested in partnering with Taste + See and/or donating to the raffle can do so by calling 1C at 402-835-5511.
Michelle said she encourages everyone to come to the fundraiser, as all donations will go towards supporting the mission.
“So far the community has been so generous in getting us started and all the donations have been really wonderful and we really appreciate it,” Michelle added.
Fuhr and Graybill said they are happy to see the old D&R Chuckwagon being used to further help the community.
“I think it’s a blessing,” Graybill added.
Hannah Schrodt can be reached at hannah.schrodt@lee.net.
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