Usually when Ally Blake goes out to dinner with her friends, they can’t decide on what to get.
But Friday, their decision will be easier because they plan to attend Cymplify Central’s First Friday Food Truck Rally where, Blake said, they will be able to choose from all the options.
"It’s like a picnic," said the 18-year-old applied physiology and kinesiology freshman. "I like the option of not eating on campus."
The rally, scheduled from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., will serve as the culmination of the Pitch In for the Kitchen fundraiser, which began in the Spring as a friendly competition between the Eighth Judicial Circuit Bar Association and the Alachua County Medical Society. The organizations challenged each other to raise $25,000 for a new kitchen at Grace Marketplace.
As of press time, the competition has raised $17,565. Alachua Medical School contributions are set at $8,880 and EJCBA contributions stand at $8,685.
"Not only will this provide meals for the residents, but also future job training," said Robert Birrenkott, the president of EJCBA.
Birrenkott said the organizations partnered with Cymplify because they want to bring prospects of the community together and support a common goal.
As part of the rally, Cymplify will host food trucks, craft beer, wine, ice cream and performances by Alachua County students.
Ten percent of the evening’s sales will go toward the Pitch In for the Kitchen fundraiser, wrote Joanna Seamen, the projects and events manager at Cymply Fresh, in an email.
"At Cymplify, we value the community and love to support good people doing good things," Seamen wrote.
At about 8:30 p.m., a bucket of ice water will be dumped on the losing organization’s president, Birrenkott said.
"I’m just glad there’s going to be plenty of doctors, because I don’t handle the cold particularly well," Birrenkott said. "I’m happy to do it for a good cause."
