Visitors at Food Trucks in the Valley Thursday on the Shelton Riverwalk were greeted with tantalizing aromas emanating from 19 trucks.
Choices included pizza, pasta, pulled pork, pierogies, and stuffed potato skins.
Pat Tarasovic, director, Valley United Way Volunteer Center, stopped at the event to get dinner to take home.
“It was hard to decide what to get, there were so many choices,” she said. Tarasovic said she finally chose lobster roll and fish and chips.
The Lower Naugatuck Valley Parent Child Resource Center hosted the first-ever event, and will get 10 percent of the food vendors’ proceeds.
PCRC executive director Mike Wynne said the event was “more of a friend-raiser than a fund-raiser. It’s about getting our name out there.”
The Derby-based agency is the Valley’s only private mental and behavioral healthcare clinic for children.
Veronica Parsloe, the nonprofit’s director of development and marketing, said she started working for the agency July 30 and soon after she and other staff started planning the event.
“It just got bigger and bigger,” Parsloe said.
Seymour resident Rob VanEgghen said, “The community came out for a great cause. And when the Valley is united, great things happen.”
In addition to food, Parsloe said there were several children’s activities, candle making, a car show, and more.
Sports mascots, ”B.B.” of the Bridgeport Bluefish, “Rocky” of the New Britain Rock Cats, and ”Storm” of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers mingled with the crowd.
WPLR was on hand and live rock music was provided by Quit Your Day Job, Monster Eats Pilot, Quicksand Planet, and Father Nelson and the Backsliders.
Parsloe thanked Main Street Music of Monroe for supplying sound equipment and setting up the stage.
She also recognized the city of Shelton for its support, and the Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley for providing tables and chairs.
