Make Smokey Jake's dream come true
Donation protected
Our dad has endured many hardships to provide a safe and secure life for us. He served for 20 years in the Marine Corps, going on 3 tours of duty in Iraq and 1 in Afghanistan. During one of his deployments, he suffered a physical injury that he’s never fully recovered from. After his retirement, he spent several years trying to find a civilian job that both supported us and made him happy. With Smokey Jake’s BBQ, he finally has.
In December 2018, our parents started Smokey Jake’s BBQ as a side job to supplement our dad’s corporate job. After seeing how much everyone loved the food, they realized that they could turn their unique flavors into a self-sufficient business to support the family: themselves, my brother, and me. The business has grown a lot from its humble beginnings, but we need your help to grow from a licensed tent operation to a fully mobile food trailer.
Throughout every roadblock and struggle, our mom and dad have always found a way to pull through and persevere for us. They have proven time and again that they are willing to do anything to support us, and now my brother and I want to return the favor.
Currently, they have a small utility trailer that has all of the equipment they need to be able to sell. The trailer is only for transportation; they still need to unload and set up about two thousand pounds of equipment to begin operating for the day. After they’re done selling, they have to tear it down and pack it away every night. They also have to do dishes at night. In addition, the food preparation takes several hours and cannot be done on site as things are. In total, they spend about 5 to 6 hours every day on setup, teardown, and food preparation alone. This doesn’t even include the time that they are actually selling. Their work week consists of 16-hour work days, 6 days a week, with the seventh day being spent preparing for the following week. This constant stress has not only aggravated our dad’s disability but is also causing our mom to have chronic fatigue. With this food trailer, setup and teardown will only take about 15 minutes and won’t require any heavy lifting, and it will also allow them to do most food preparation and dishes on site during slow time.
After months of searching, they have found a used food trailer that is only six months old and is relatively inexpensive. They need the down payment as soon as possible to secure the trailer for themselves. Without a down payment, someone else may purchase the trailer, and they will need to continue searching for several more months. With your help, we can make that dream a reality and make their lives that much easier.
In December 2018, our parents started Smokey Jake’s BBQ as a side job to supplement our dad’s corporate job. After seeing how much everyone loved the food, they realized that they could turn their unique flavors into a self-sufficient business to support the family: themselves, my brother, and me. The business has grown a lot from its humble beginnings, but we need your help to grow from a licensed tent operation to a fully mobile food trailer.
Throughout every roadblock and struggle, our mom and dad have always found a way to pull through and persevere for us. They have proven time and again that they are willing to do anything to support us, and now my brother and I want to return the favor.
Currently, they have a small utility trailer that has all of the equipment they need to be able to sell. The trailer is only for transportation; they still need to unload and set up about two thousand pounds of equipment to begin operating for the day. After they’re done selling, they have to tear it down and pack it away every night. They also have to do dishes at night. In addition, the food preparation takes several hours and cannot be done on site as things are. In total, they spend about 5 to 6 hours every day on setup, teardown, and food preparation alone. This doesn’t even include the time that they are actually selling. Their work week consists of 16-hour work days, 6 days a week, with the seventh day being spent preparing for the following week. This constant stress has not only aggravated our dad’s disability but is also causing our mom to have chronic fatigue. With this food trailer, setup and teardown will only take about 15 minutes and won’t require any heavy lifting, and it will also allow them to do most food preparation and dishes on site during slow time.
After months of searching, they have found a used food trailer that is only six months old and is relatively inexpensive. They need the down payment as soon as possible to secure the trailer for themselves. Without a down payment, someone else may purchase the trailer, and they will need to continue searching for several more months. With your help, we can make that dream a reality and make their lives that much easier.
Organizer and beneficiary
Craig Schanz
Organizer
Escondido, CA
Jacob Schanz
Beneficiary
