It was a scrumptious, mouth-watering way to raise $10,000 for Lakeland schools tonight (5.2.19).
And the “Pop-Up Drive-Through Barbecue” delivered on its promise.
The Lake District (TLD) partnered with Memphis Barbecue Co. to make dinner easy by offering the barbecue pick-up at City Hall with all proceeds going to the Lakeland Education Foundation (LEF). The hot meals were donated by Memphis Barbecue Co.
Customers who donated a minimum of $25 to LEF could choose between two options: A pulled pork dinner with all the trimmings or a rack of ribs with sauce. They drove through the parking lot at City Hall to be greeted by volunteers who took their orders, gave them dinner tickets and accepted their donations for education in Lakeland.
And those who picked up their barbecue dinners also received a complimentary coffee mug with The Lake District logo, from Yehuda Netanal, owner and developer of TLD.
At the end of the 2 ½-hour event, $10,000 was donated for LEF in the fun, casual fundraiser. LEF is a non-profit organization providing resources to Lakeland schools and teachers for the enrichment of students.
Google album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Z8XDPnA3sm5JAUtJ7
Memphis Barbecue Co. is the newest restaurant tenant announced for The Lake District, which is to be constructed at I-40 and Canada Road in Lakeland.
Mr. Netanel said, “Everything I have achieved in life is directly tied to the education I received. The students of today will become the leaders of tomorrow, therefore it is important to me that they get the best education possible. We are invested in the community in so many ways, our best investment though, will be in our students. Through conversations with Melissa Cookston, owner of Memphis Barbecue Co., the idea of creating a fundraiser for LEF was born.”
Mrs. Cookston said, “As we make Lakeland a new home for Memphis Barbecue Co., we want to show our support and our pride to the students of the community. It is our pleasure to be donating all of the food for the pop-up drive-through.” Although she was out of town this evening, her husband Pete Cookston was on site to help serve the barbecue meals.
Volunteers helping today included Jeremy Burnett, Mike Martin, Amy Foster, Neal Duplantis, James Hambrick, Commissioner Wesley Wright, Billy Rodgers and his son Brendan, alongside Mr. Netanel and Maggie Gallagher, director of development for TLD.
City Manager Shane Horn organized City staff members to set up traffic lanes and direct traffic into the parking lot, with help from Shelby County Sheriff’s Office deputies.
The first customer was Judy Thun from Arlington who was buying dinner for her daughter who lives in Lakeland, she said. Another customer bought her pulled pork dinner and paid $25. A short time later, she returned to City Hall. She said she was amazed at the amount of food she had for $25 and wanted to donate more, so she gave the volunteers another $30.
About The Lake District
The Lake District is an upscale 160+ acre mixed-use community surrounding a 10-acre lake and waterways in Lakeland just outside of Memphis. Designed as a walkable village, The Lake District will have water features threaded throughout its five districts: Inline Retail District, Main Street District (curated retail, chef-driven restaurants and cafes), Hotel District (two hotels, one with lake view), Pad Sites and Office District (75,000 square feet of office space with lake views), and the Residential District (age-restricted living, Downtown-style lofts and custom single family homes). Phase 1 schedule of delivery of space for tenant build out is fall of 2020, with businesses opening for the 2020 holidays.
To learn more about The Lake District, visit www.thelakedistrict.us and follow @TheLakeDistrictTN on Facebook.
Retailers may contact Mrs. Gallagher at 229-9690 or Maggie@TheLakeDistrict.us .
… Photos of Jim Willis
