Earlier this year, a trailer operated by The Tasty Kraut, a German food vendor in San Angelo, was destroyed in an explosion. They said they felt fortunate there were no injuries, but owners Pia and Holger Buchwalder had to shut down temporarily to assess the damages.
From there, Holger says he was told to sell a rather fine motorcycle given to him by a relative, to help cover expenses, but it turned out to be more than they needed, so they’re putting it to good use by raffling it off.
“Luckily our insurance paid part, and with the help from the community and our savings we could buy another one,” he explained. “We came out okay for how devastating the explosion was.”
The Buchwalders, from Germany, moved to America a few years back. Holger says he was surprised by the community response:
“We just moved here not even two years ago, so I did my research for what are the institutions around here that help. That same day, two people with the Concho Valley Regional Food Bank came by and I discussed with them about fundraiser to support them.”
“The bike alone is worth $20,000. It’s got a title, recently upgraded. And like I tell people who say, ‘I don’t ride a bike’, well you can sell it and make some money.”
Proceeds for the raffle will be split 50/50 between Concho Valley PAWS and the Regional Food Bank.
Now that The Tasty Kraut is back in business, they’re giving back: you can buy tickets for the fundraiser at the food truck, which is currently located at Knickerbocker and Bryant, right after the Ave. Q split.
Holger says that the response from the overwhelming positive response from the community was not what he and his wife were used to:
“That’s not normal. I’m not used to that coming from Germany. I mean, friends of ours helped us, but for strangers they say “well, it’s your luck…help yourself.
“People here we don’t even know or hardly met once pitched in to help us, and so we need to give back to the community, because of the support everyone shared.”
