Volunteer Starkville hosts Touch-A-Truck
Families flooded the Sportsplex to climb in the front seats of different city and county vehicles at Volunteer Starkville’s 6th annual Touch-A-Truck event.
Americorp Vista with Volunteer Starkville and organizer for TouchA-Truck Kauthar Gaber said this fundraiser is special in the sense because there is no other event like this in Starkville.
“To give the opportunity for children to come and thoroughly explore the vehicles and kind of understand what their businesses do,” Gaber said.
Gaber said the event grows bigger and better with each year and the organization of the event is more complete.
The different types of vehicles at the event ranged from Starkville Police Department cruisers and motorcycles, dump trucks, school buses, Starkville Fire Department trucks, a street sweeper and other city and county vehicles.
Gaber said Touch-A-Truck is one of Volunteer Starkville’s largest and engaging fundraisers. She said last year, the event brought in nearly $5,000.
“It really helps us with our operating costs and event planning, because as a nonprofit we’ve unfortunately lost our funding, so this will help our program,” Gaber said.
Although the event was during a cold and rainy day, Gaber said the turnout for the event was a success. She said seeing all of the young children looking at the trucks in awe is the most rewarding part of hosting the event.
“It’s an amazing feeling to see them happy and exciting and being like ‘mom look, dad look,’” Gaber exclaimed.
SFD Sergeant Chase Taylor said the event provides their department the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with both young members of the community and their parents.
Taylor said this allows the younger children to not be afraid of first responders and other workers. He said if there is ever an emergency situation, it will make them more inclined to come to them for help.
Along with showcasing the truck, Taylor said they also demonstrated their oxygen masks and other equipment for the participants to observe.
“They always play with the little firetrucks growing up, but when they actually get to see one in person, it’s kind of cool because you can see their eyes get big,” Taylor said.