 |
Humble hot dog is a powerful fundraiser
Local churches find winning formula with budget-friendly fare
By Karen Sullivan, Reporter with Charlotte Observer
Hot dogs are humble food, but they can quickly turn a quiet gathering into a celebration.
So it's no wonder the members of Trinity United Methodist Church on Beatties Ford Road in Long Creek chose this budget-friendly fare as the star attraction for its weekly fundraiser luncheon.
Hot dog lunches are still selling like hot cakes after 11 years, drawing an average 150 people each week and contributing about $100,000 to help retire the church's debt for construction of a family life center.
The fundraiser also has bought the church a kitchen renovation and a 15-passenger van, and helped pay for a church bus.
Hot dogs are that hot.
Trinity's congregation borrowed the idea for a hot dog lunch from a church in Concord. Then the congregation at Oak Grove Methodist Church on Old Statesville Road in Crater Park joined the procession.
Oak Grove started selling hot dog lunches about seven years ago. The menu is smaller, but the volunteers who man the weenie pots can dish out 225 dogs in a day.
Get a hot dog with optional chili and other additions ($1.25), or a barbecue sandwich ($2). For a little more, diners can get pinto beans or chips, a beverage, and desserts such as pie or cake.
Oak Grove and Trinity are far from being competitors. In fact, the congregations support both events, and several neighboring congregations join them.
No matter what church they attend, diners said they welcome the opportunities to slather a bun with chili, slaw or other favorite toppings.
"We just like a good hot dog once the week," said Edith Kirby, who visits Oak Grove for lunch about three times a month.
The two events offer other benefits in addition to money for church expenses. They create an informal setting for outreach to new members. They also offer diners an inexpensive meal and a cherished opportunity for fellowship.
"It's a mid-week gathering," said Dr. Richard Auten, Trinity's pastor.
Trinity sold only hot dogs when members started the event. With an improved kitchen, the organizers expanded the menu.
Today visitors can buy a hot dog with chili, slaw and other additions ($1.50), kraut dog ($2), corn dog ($1), barbecue sandwich ($2.50), BLT ($2.50), hamburger or cheeseburger ($2 or $2.25), beef bologna sandwich ($2) or a grilled cheese sandwich ($1.25).
Other choices include French fries or potato chips, soup, pinto beans, cornbread, dill pickles, beverages and desserts.
The tables at Trinity were filled with friends and families on a recent visit. Several children from the church's preschool joined family members and friends for a leisurely time-out.
A high school group from Charlotte's Metro School, which serves children who are cognitively disabled, sang on the stage.
"During the summer, I try to come as often as I can get here," said Cheryl Fox, whose mother, Mary Moore, is a member at Trinity. The two were joined by Fox's daughter-in-law and granddaughter, Donna Fox and 17-month-old Abby.
"We come to spend the day together and get a hot dog." flavor of the neighborhood
Hot Dog Lunches
TRINITY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Address: 6230 Beatties Ford Road.Phone: 704-399-1684.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays.
OAK GROVE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Address: 6440 Old Statesville Road.
Phone: 704-596-4084.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays.
|
|
Oak Grove United Methodist Church
6440 Old Statesville Road
Charlotte, NC 28269
(704) 596-4084
|
print page