School Fundraisers: Mini Donut Days & School Carnivals

Tin Lizzy Concessions has run school fundraisers across Metro Vancouver, the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley for years, and the model is simple: the food your students and families already line up for at the fair does the fundraising for you. There are two ways to run it — a Mini Donut Treat Day during the school day, or a full School Carnival with a lineup of food trucks. Both are built so the school does very little work and keeps a real share of every sale.

Option 1: Mini Donut Treat Day

Our mini donut truck comes to your school for a treat day built around fresh mini donuts, made on site and handed out hot. Schools run it as a presale, with extra bags sold at the truck on the day.

How your school earns:

• Presale bags are $7 or $8 each — your PAC picks the price. The school's cost is $5.00 a bag, so the school keeps $2.00 a bag at the $7 price or $3.00 a bag at the $8 price.
• Bags sold at the truck on the day are $8.00, and the school keeps $3.00 from every one of those too.
• There is no minimum order and no up-front deposit. If the day is small, it still works.

A real example: a school with 300 presale bags at $8 keeps $900 before the truck even opens. Add 80 bags sold at lunch on the day and the school keeps another $240 — $1,140 raised from one treat day, with no cost to the school.

How the day runs:

• We arrive 1.5 to 2 hours early and set up in a flat, visible parking spot (the truck needs about 31 feet).
• Send us your approximate presale numbers 2 days before — it is a planning number, not a cut-off. We always bring extra.
• Fastest distribution is classroom delivery: we pack donuts by division into totes and they go straight to classrooms, no labels needed. A pickup table staffed by the school also works well. Tickets and vouchers are the slowest option and the one we recommend least.
• Every student gets fresh donuts whether they ordered ahead or buy at the truck — nobody is left watching.

Mini donut mix contains wheat, milk, soy, egg and barley; the donuts are vegetarian and peanut free, fried in non-trans-fat canola shortening.

Option 2: School Carnival Food Trucks

Planning a spring fair, carnival or family fun night? We bring the food midway: 2 to 5 food trucks matched to your crowd size, with full kids' and adult menus — mini donuts, poutine, burgers, grilled cheese and mac & cheese, hot dogs, tornado potato, bubble tea, fish and chips, and partner trucks for tacos and Greek food.

How your school earns:

• We donate 10% of total event food sales back to the school.
• There are no booking fees, no minimum sales, no guarantee and no presales to manage. A carnival that sells $6,000 of food sends $600 back to the school — and booking cost the school nothing.
• Because there is no minimum to protect, we coordinate the full food lineup: which trucks attend and what they serve, so menus do not duplicate and every truck can serve fast. Your school is welcome to sell its own items too — just let us know in advance so the lineup is planned around them.

Carnivals work best for evening and weekend events, family crowds, and schools that want the fair feel without running concession stands themselves.

Which Fundraiser Fits Your School?

• Treat Day — during school hours, students only, simplest to run, earnings driven by presales. Best for PAC treat days and end-of-term celebrations.
• School Carnival — evenings or weekends, whole families, earnings driven by event food sales. Best for spring fairs, fun nights and community events.
• Both — many schools run a carnival in the spring and treat days through the year. One call books either, or both.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost the school to book?

Nothing up front. Treat Days have no minimum and no deposit — the school only pays the $5.00 per-bag cost on presale bags out of what it collects, and keeps the rest. Carnivals have no booking fee and no minimum sales at all; we donate 10% of food sales back.

How much can our school raise?

On a Treat Day, the school keeps $2.00 to $3.00 per presale bag and $3.00 per bag sold at the truck — a mid-size school typically raises several hundred to over a thousand dollars in a day. At a carnival, the school receives 10% of everything the trucks sell.

Are the mini donuts allergy-friendly?

The mix contains wheat, milk, soy, egg and barley, so they are not gluten-free or dairy-free. They are vegetarian and peanut free, and fried in non-trans-fat canola shortening. Carnival menus add more options, including uncoated fresh-cut fries (gluten-free) and vegetarian gravy.

What does the school need to provide?

A flat, visible parking spot of about 31 feet for the truck, approximate presale numbers 2 days ahead for a Treat Day, and a few volunteers if you choose the pickup-table option. We bring everything else — truck, crew, power and supplies.

How far ahead should we book?

Treat Days book up fast around holidays and end of term, so 3 to 4 weeks ahead is ideal — but ask anyway; the calendar often has room. Carnivals are best booked 1 to 2 months out so the truck lineup can be coordinated.

Which areas do you serve?

Schools across Metro Vancouver, the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley — including Surrey, Langley, Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, Richmond, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, Delta and Maple Ridge.

Book a School Fundraiser

Tell us your school, city, date and roughly how many students — we will reply with availability and the simple next steps.

Call 236-808-8000 | Email [email protected] | Get a Quote

Food Trucks Catering by Tin Lizzy Concessions, 408-1515 Broadway Street, Port Coquitlam, BC V3C 6M2