Minnesota Vikings Foundation Rolls Out Vikings Table Charity Food Truck

[Viktor]

Vikings Chief Operating Officer Kevin Warren said the initiative “will allow individuals, especially young kids who are trying to grow, who are trying to become better students, an opportunity to receive the proper nourishment, the food and the resources during those summer months.”


“We’re excited here at the Minnesota Vikings to partner with Xcel Energy to make a difference in our community,” Warren added. “We’re also excited to show that the food truck is another opportunity for the Minnesota Vikings Foundation to show our love and support of this phenomenal community and show our appreciation to our fans and the people who really understand what we try to do here on a daily basis. Yes, we are a professional football team, but more than that, on some days, we’re a friend, we’re a parent, we’re a sibling, we’re a grandparent, but most of all, we’re a beacon of hope to individuals who may be facing a time in need.”


Xcel Energy committed $1.275 million over five years to the Vikings Table, a 38-foot, custom-built Winnebago that was built and donated by the recreational vehicle company. The food truck is a zero-waste vehicle fitted with Energy Star appliances and rooftop solar panels. The rear of the vehicle features an experience room with an 80-inch monitor that can display educational videos and nutritional information.


“We believe Xcel Energy is a big part of the community, but we know that the community loves the Vikings, and to have the opportunity to work with the Vikings on this very important subject, hunger, and the impact it’s having on our community and to make a positive difference around it is something we’re really excited about,” Xcel Energy Chairman of the Board, President and CEO Ben Fowke said.


“We’re committed to growing healthy communities, and you can’t be healthy if you are hungry,” Fowke added. “This program addresses hunger and brings awareness to an issue that many of us are not aware of. We’re happy to be part of this initiative, and we think it can make a difference in the community.”


Collaboration with Xcel Energy, local non-profit organizations that are dedicated to ending hunger and professionals in food service are central to the plan.


The Minnesota Vikings Foundation will work with local school districts and nonprofits to determine areas with the highest needs and work to remove barriers to food distributions that organizations sometimes encounter.


Two central problems causing the meal gap are voids in geographic coverage and a lack of participation due to awareness and/or social stigmas.


Vikings Table’s mobility and the platform of the Vikings can help with both problems.


All food truck operations have been contracted with Tony and Haley Fritz, who have yexperience in the food truck industry.


The Fritzes own two O’Cheeze (grilled cheese) food trucks and a brick-and-mortar location in St. Paul’s Keg and Case Market, as well as a Dough Dough food truck and cookie dough location in the Mall of America. They will be responsible for operating, maintaining and staffing the Vikings Table food truck.


Tony grew up in a single-parent home, but he has only since learned the hardships that his family faced. He said his mother’s emphasis on cost-effective, scratch-made meals


“We grew up with pretty much nothing,” Tony said. “My mom was kind of where we’re going to go with this truck. We were paycheck-to-paycheck, food stamps, all of that. We did home-cooked meals because it was cheaper to do it that way than it was to buy, so the whole idea behind the truck kind of just hit home with what we wanted to do anyway.”