A 'Reverse Food Truck' in Albuquerque?

The food-truck culture has taken root in Albuquerque, thanks in part to a couple of programs supported by the city administration, including Truckin' Tuesdays and 1st Friday Food Trucks  On Tuesdays, residents of the Duke City who work or reside downtown or nearby neighborhoods have options for lunch (11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.). Trucks parked on 3rd and Marquette (just north of Civic Plaza) offer German, Caribbean, Japanese, Latin American and other types of food. Most of those  same options are available for dinner on the First Friday of the month on the corner of 1st and Central, starting at 6:00 p.m. Patrons can keep updated on food trucks in the city through a Facebook page entitled ABQ Food Trucks.or through Twitter (handle @ABQFoodTrucks).

A truck that collects, not sells, food
While the food-truck culture is very much a part of the Albuquerque dining scene, the city could use a reverse food truck. What is a "reverse food truck," you ask? In Minneapolis-St. Paul, Finnegan's brewing company has developed a food truck that collects nonperishable food items and cash donations from attendees at events in the greater Minneapolis–St. Paul area.

'Rather than serving food, our food truck does the opposite. It accepts food donations. Think of it as a food drive on wheels.'  -Finnegans

The company launched the  reverse food truck in March of this year through a partnership with the Emergency Foodshelf Network’s Harvest for the Hungry Program in the Twin Cities. The food truck fits well with the company's philosophy. Finnegan's CEO Jacquie Berglund--who previously worked for the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD) in Paris, France--made social responsibility a strong component of Finnegan's business since the company was created in 2000. The companyy gives 100% of profits from the sale of two types of beer (Irish amber and blonde ale) to the non-profit community. To date, that has amounted to $100,000.  Read more about the company in a great piece published in the takepart Web site.

So while the City of Albuquerque has done a great job to promote the food trucks that dispense and sell food, wouldn't it be  great to see a public-privave-non-profit effort come together to create a reverse food truck locally?


FINNEGANS - Reverse Food Truck from FINNEGANS on Vimeo.