ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA—Two brand new food trucks hit the scene on Tuesday at Winthrop University, courtesy of the Macfeat Early Childhood Laboratory School.
Macfeat’s kindergarten class sold sweet treats and baked goods to the campus community – for only $1 apiece! — from their “food trucks,” which they made out of recycled refrigerator boxes. It was all for a good cause: proceeds are going toward York County CROP Hunger Walk, an annual community event that raises funds to end hunger at home.
“The children came up with the food truck idea,” said Liz Porter, lead teacher. “Some of them have been to the city’s Food Truck Fridays, so we had chosen that for our dramatic play. They had so much fun with that [Macfeat Director] Erin Hamel said, ‘It’s too bad we can’t make it real.’ I said, ‘…Can we not make it real?’”
Macfeat’s school theme is kindness, so many of the class’s current and future projects focus on how other people have different needs and situations. For example, for the food truck project, the class read “Maddi’s Fridge,” a story about Sofia, who discovers her friend Maddi does not have much food to eat at home. Sofia and her family then buy groceries for Maddi’s family, and they share a meal together.
Students spent about a week constructing the food trucks, creating their work schedules and assigning jobs. Students also implemented their own marketing plan, creating flyers and promoting the event around campus.
They set up on the side of Withers/W.T.S. Building and put to work their salesmanship and basic 1-1 math skills.
Porter couldn’t help smiling while watching her class entice Winthrop students, faculty and staff with desserts.
“When kids do something, they learn a lot more versus having it done for them or showing it to them,” she said.
Kayden Mood, 5, manned one of the money tables.
“I’m having 100 percent fun!” she said. “I like selling and giving other people food so they don’t have empty fridges.”
For more information on the Macfeat school, call 803/323-2219 or visit the website at www.winthrop.edu/macfeat.
