Princeton Eating Clubs Launch Community Service Council

TruckFest 2014, sponsored by the eating clubs at Princeton University, raised more than $20,000 for charity.
TruckFest 2014, sponsored by the eating clubs at Princeton University, raised more than $20,000 for charity.

Leaders of Princeton University’s private eating clubs today announced the formation of the Community Service Inter-club Council to foster and coordinate community service activities for all of the eating clubs.

Kate Gardner of Tower Club and Kevin Larkin of Colonial Club will chair the new inter-club council.

 

Each eating club has one or more community service chairs who organize service projects for the members of their club. More than 20 community service chairs from all eleven eating clubs are members of the new council, one of three inter-club groups.

The council will manage TruckFest, an inter-club community service project that began last year. In its first year, TruckFest raised more than $20,000 for Send Hunger Packing, a charity dedicated to fighting food insecurity in Mercer County.

“We’re very excited to have a formalized relationship between community service chairs of the clubs,” Gardner said. “Kevin and I think it’s a great way to continue to build strong inter-club ties, and encourage partnership and a love of service on campus. We’re already underway planning for TruckFest 2015, and are thrilled with the active role all of the eating clubs are taking.”

The council members hope to double the number of food trucks and amount donated to charity for TruckFest 2015.

The University’s Pace Center for Civic Engagement is one of the sponsors of TruckFest. Representatives from the Pace Center and the Princeton University Office of Community and Regional Affairs are advising the group regarding community partner collaborations, and are serving as the liaison between the council and the town of Princeton.

The service council and TruckFest evolved from a series of monthly community service dinners that began in the fall of 2012. The dinners were organized by Lisa Schmucki from the class of 1974, who serves as the graduate adviser to the councils.

Last year was the first time the eating clubs worked together to host an inter-club community service event.