Spring is a great time to have a party at the park!  If you are looking for a fun, green fundraiser, it’s a great time for that, too. Try something simple this year, and go back in time to when fundraisers were more about fun…

A box lunch social used to be the way a town raised money to pay for new hymnbooks for the country church, a furnace for the schoolhouse or lumber for a neighbor’s barn raising. This can still be a fun community get together that puts the ladies’ cooking skills to the test.

The job of the women is simple – cook a scrumptious lunch and decorate a box to hold it. Put a cooler block in the bottom to keep the food fresh, and choose foods that are best chilled – cold fried chicken or chicken salad, fruit or potato salad, fresh bread and homemade cookies or a wedge of pie or chocolate cake! All the wives know what their husband’s favorite dish is, and as for the eligible unmarried gals – well, this si their chance to spread some gossip about their best dish.

Some of the more experienced cooks can volunteer to take less kitchen savvy ones under their wing, and even children can be roped in to help decorate boxes. Look for ways to recycle things you already have, like salvaged gift wrap, bows and ribbon from the holidays – reusing things you have makes for less waste in landfills!

On the day of the social, the men had better be ready! A starting bid amount should be set for the boxes, and someone appointed to play auctioneer. Married couples will naturally be expected to pair off (though there has been known to be a little playful rivalry to drive up the bidding) – but the real fun comes when the singles take the stage.

The prize for winning the box, of course, if the company of the lovely cook at lunch, so choosing a venue with plenty of picnic tables is a good idea. This is a terrific fundraiser for a church or a small town community where everyone knows each other well, and can be expanded on in many different ways. Since the items sold are consumed and the boxes can be recycled, there is virtually no waste, making this fundraiser one of the best green ones around.