Lunch, served with style

By Laura Davis

Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009 | 12:27 p.m.

Lunch trays, those infamous staples of school cafeterias, are back and better than ever. Thanks to Lunch Trays for Home Days, the fundraiser being held Friday at the Arts Factory, you can kiss childhood memories of those soggy-food carrying devices goodbye.

To raise funds for Three Square Food Bank’s Back Pack program -- which provides food for students in the Clark County School District affected by hunger – more than 40 local artists are making you look at boring tableware in a whole new way.

“When you see [the lunch trays], you’ll be floored,” said RaShelle Roberts of Group Therapy LV, one of the organizations responsible for bringing the event into fruition. “We thought, ‘OK cool we can get [the artists] to paint on these,’ but what they turned into … you would not even know they’re just silly lunch trays. People have added beads to them and you just look at them and go, ‘Oh my goodness!’ They’re quite extraordinary.”

Prices for the painted platters start at $100, and will go up from there during a silent auction, so bring your checkbook. The price of donations is not always cheap.

And what would a food benefit with food trays be without, well, food? Friday’s fundraiser will also be offering a free food and beverage tasting. Catering the event will be executive chef Adam Sobel from RMC food and Fully Belly Group, and Beem Global will be providing the real treat: liquor.

So if you want to get ahead on Christmas shopping and avoid the annual massacre that is Black Friday, lunch trays make for a great gift. They’re one of a kind (How many Santas do you know that would think to put a lunch try under the Christmas tree?) and dishwasher friendly. But you may not be too quick to put an original piece of art in with the dirty dishes.

Above all, it’s for a good cause. “These kids [in Three Square’s Back Pack program] have been affected greatly by the economy,” explained Roberts. “And it’s a ripple effect. Having this event be successful gives these kids some food when they come home.”