Food Cart A Total Loss; Owner Seeks Help To Get Back In Business

STAYTON, OR — Passing through Silverton on his way to Stayton for a fundraiser, with his barbecue food truck in tow, Jason Lorraine noticed smoke in his rearview mirror. Quickly pulling over to see what was happening, Lorraine was shocked to find his food truck almost completely engulfed in fire.

That was last Sunday, July 15. Today, all that remains of Lorraine's business is a melted hunk of bowed metal, he says, noting the fire was so catastrophic the fire marshal told him there'd be no way to even determine how it happened.

"I assume it was something electrical, based on where the fire seemed to have originated," Lorraine told Patch on Wednesday. "But honestly, it could have been anything."

A retired Army veteran, having served 20 years as a Military Police Officer, Lorraine said he's not one who typically asks for help. But considering the nature of his predicament, he has few other options.

Lorraine says he carried insurance coverage but admits he must have made a mistake when setting it up because, apparently, the insurance company he used won't cover the entire cost of all he lost — which is estimated around $25,000.

"You don't realize how much you've put into something until you go back through all your receipts and paperwork," he said. "It was pretty disheartening."

On July 17, Lorraine's friend and fellow food truck operator Ken Carey initiated a GoFundMe campaign to help Lorraine and his family get back on the road and serving up Texas-style barbecue brisket and pulled pork ribs all around Marion County from Squatchy's BBQ Shack.

As self-proclaimed "Bigfoot people," the business' name, Lorraine explained, came from his family's interest in Sasquatch and being a born and raised Pacific Northwesterner.

"We're just a small, family owned business that tries to help others however we can," he said. "We were just one week away from celebrating our one-year anniversary."

A resident of Marquam, in rural Clackamas County, Lorraine and his family reportedly serve barbecue from their truck in Silverton, Stayton, and all around Salem. In fact, the day the cart caught fire, Lorraine was heading to Stayton to help another food truck friend raise money to help with his daughter's heart surgery.

"We were going to donate all our tips and a portion of the day's revenue to help out with his daughter's surgery," Lorraine says. "We've done so many fundraisers trying to help people out. As far as our truck is concerned, we're not looking for handouts. We're trying to get back up and running so we can get back out there helping others again."

The GoFundMe campaign to get Squatchy's back on the road raised $6,255 in one day. The campaign shows a goal of $25,000, which Lorraine says would recoup much of the loss.

Follow this link to make your own donation.

Images via Jason Lorraine