Thinking of throwing a firetruck party? Have a little one obsessed fire trucks? Or maybe you have a fireman retiring and need some food ideas. You are in the right place!
Our firetruck party doubled as a fundraiser. My son’s 4th birthday was already planned as a Firetruck-themed party, when 19 hotshot firefighters were lost in Yarnell, Arizona (just 2 hours from where we live). We were heartbroken by this tragedy, and decided to make his party a fundraiser, with proceeds going to a fund that had been created for the children of the fallen firefighters.
I created 2 different firetruck designs, one red and blue, and one red and yellow. Here are the invitations available in my shop (blue one here, red & yellow one here).
The invitations can also be done with a photo:
The invitations have a matching printable collection… one for each color scheme.
Red & Blue:
I used the 8×10″ frameable that comes with the Firetruck collection as a door sign.
And the kids made a sign reminding people that this was a fundraiser.
The party table:
The firetruck toy was borrowed from a friend. If your little one loves firetrucks, then you likely have a number of fire truck toys around to use as well!
The ride-on toy also made a great photo prop for the party goers. Here is the birthday boy. 🙂
The collection comes with a personalized 8×10″ frameable, which I used here:
The food labels come both filled and empty, for you to use on your buffet table:
The water wraps also come with the Firetruck collection:
I made the chocolate fire hydrant lollipops in the background using red Candy Melt chocolates and lollipop sticks (both available at WalMart and craft stores), and a chocolate mold such as this one.
Some party food ideas:
* Firetruck Tires = chocolate mini donuts or Oreos
* Fireballs = fireball candy or cheese puffs
* Stop, Drop & Roll = Tootsie Rolls, Fruit Roll-ups or a snack rolled up in a tortilla
* Firemen hoses = red licorice ropes
* Dalmatian spots = Hershey Drops
* Petrified flames = Cheetos
* Lifesavers = a bowl of hard or chewy Lifesaver candy
* Chili (we like turkey chili, there are great recipes on AllRecipes and elsewhere)
* Lil’ Smokies in BBQ sauce in a slow cooker
* Any red / yellow / orange foods (think sliced bell peppers, or a platter of strawberries, pineapple pieces & mandarin oranges)
The Firetruck printables include a label that says “Put the Fire Out!” for your drink dispenser or cooler.
The collection comes with 4″ medallions that can be used as decor. One of them is for chili and has a number that corresponds to the child’s age (my son was turning 4, so his said “4-alarm Chili”. It was a hot summer day in Arizona, but it was too perfect a firehouse food not to use. 🙂
Here is an example of the medallions:
These napkins / serviettes came from Party City:
Entertainment was provided by a firetruck party company called Fantastic Firetruck. They set up games, and gave the kids a ride on a classic firetruck. They have locations in metro Phoenix and south Florida. The kids were very excited about the truck and games, and it really made the party fun for all.
Chris, Fantastic Firetruck owner, and my oldest son. Chris was wonderful with the kids, and he does a magician show as well, that is absolutely hysterical. I’ve had him provide entertainment for two different parties, and I highly recommend him!
The birthday boy with his cousin, having fun at his Firetruck party…
The favor tags come with the Firetruck collection (and are available separately), and I put them on a bucket from a dollar store…
I added some fire truck stickers and small toys (from Party City) and Fire Truck Hershey Kisses, printed and shipped here. I also made Firetruck bubble labels (part of the collection, or available individually here… chose Firetruck from the drop-down menu) and put them on bubble bottles (3 for $1 at Dollar Tree).
I added the names of the guests to the front of the firetrucks hats as a favor.
And the fire hydrant cookie jar was where guests put their donations.
After all the funds were collected, we took the checks and cash from our fundraiser to the bank that was collecting for the Yarnell firefighters fund. My 4 yr old was very proud that he raised $900 for the children who lost their daddies.
If you would like to contribute as well, here are two legitimate funds.
If you are thinking of making your party a fundraiser as well, here are some tips:
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Be sure to properly vet your charity so your guests feel comfortable donating. One place to check is Charity Navigator.
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Note on the invitation that you are asking for donations in lieu of gifts, and name the charity so guests can decide look it up ahead of time and decide what level of donation they are comfortable with.
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Be prepared for questions like, “Do you really not want any gifts, and just donations?” Especially if your party is for a younger child. I told people that if they felt odd about showing up at a 4-year-old’s party without a gift, they could bring a Dollar Store gift, or even a used gift, like a pre-loved book off their own bookshelf. I also had the discussion with my son the morning of the party about how he might have fewer gifts to open, but that’s because we were helping the children who lost their daddies. He was on board from the early planning stages, so he was okay with that. And he still got a few gifts from Mom and Dad.
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Have a central collection point (I used a fire hydrant cookie jar), and post the charity name nearby, so guests know what to make checks out to. You definitely want them to make checks out to the charity and not to you (which just adds another step in your donation process).
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Follow up with your guests, letting them know what kind of impact they had. I emailed guests (and posted on Facebook) a photo of the deposit slip the bank gave me when I made the deposit, so everyone would know that all the money was turned over, and that our relatively small party had made quite a difference!
If you are in the Phoenix, Arizona area, you can rent a large bin of Firetruck party decor from Bins of Fun. For $50 you can get a personalized invitation file (that you can print, email or text to invitees) as well as rent all the decor shown here, and more (fire party music CD, toddler fireman costume, etc). It’s an instant party!
{Party Partners & Resources}
Firetruck invitations by Renee’s Soirees
Firetruck printable collection by Renee’s Soirees
Entertainment by Fantastic Firetruck Company, Phoenix
Photography by Amanda Saccuci, Rule of Faith Photography, Phoenix (can be reached at amandasaccuci@gmail.com)
Firetruck Hershey Kiss stickers by Renee’s Soirees (select Firetruck from the drop-down menu)
Firetruck nametags by Renee’s Soirees (select Firetruck from the drop-down menu)
Firetruck bubble bottle labels by Renee’s Soirees (select Firetruck from the drop-down menu)
Hope you enjoyed this Firetruck Party as much as we did!
PS
How cute are the birthday boy and his big brother? They had a blast at our firetruck party. 🙂
