It depends on the weather. Whether the weather is cold, warm or hot. Whether the the fog is in or out. The serious runners prefer cool and overcast. The not so serious runners pray for a warm, sun-drenched day. At San Francisco's annual Bay to Breakers race, Food Runners capitalizes when a cold wind roars off the Pacific and thick gray mist veils the entire city all day long.
2011 Bay to Breakers Forecast: Partly Cloudy. Windy. High: 58F. Low: 49F.
2008 was Food Runners best ever Bay to Breakers year. The sun never emerged from the gloom. The wind howled savagely all day. Being naked or scantily clad was no fun. Many left early. Many just stayed home. Unanticipated low attendance translated to tons of leftover food. The Food Runners truck made it safely across town through the drunken revelers and other partiers stalwart enough to have braved the day until the bitter end. The truck puttered carefully around the Polo Fields track to the Best Beverage Catering tent in the VIP area. Over 80 neatly packed trays of food awaited: everything from barbecued chicken to sandwiches, to quiche, pasta, brownies, cookies and more. In addition, there were numerous cases of oranges and bananas. What a haul! Enough for five different shelters that afternoon.
In 2009, the sun shone, a light breeze whispered through the eucalyptus trees and the fog stayed on the far horizon. Everyone came out to play and stayed out. Once again, as the party wound down, the Food Runners truck wove safely through the crazy-quilt crowd. This time, Best Beverage had a mere dozen or so trays. The Food Runners truck driver picked up a few additional items from some of the other food vendors. What a difference a sunny day makes!
In 2010, Bay to Breakers changed sponsors. The rules changed. The food set up changed. No one knew what to expect resulting in a reasonable haul for Food Runners. Nothing like 2008, but far better than 2009.
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This year marks the 100th running of Bay to Breakers. The rules and the set up have changed again this year. Best Beverage will still be responsible for the majority of the food, but no one knows what to expect. At this year's race, well... city-wide block party is more like it... alcohol is banned for the first time. It's anybody's guess how that will affect attendance. Could be a boon for Food Runners! Whichever way the literal and figurative cookie crumbles and whether the weather, is cold, warm or hot, Food Runners will be on the job picking up the leftovers and delivering them to San Franciscans in need.
Summer is almost here. Are you attending any weddings this summer? Yacht Club barbecues? Company picnics? Ask the caterers what they are doing with the leftovers. Tell them about Food Runners. In San Francisco, edible, perishable food need never go to waste. A pick up and delivery by a smiling Food Runners volunteer is just a phone call away.
