The big kid buffet
What food takes you straight back to childhood?
Bring back lunchbox favourites, party food and nostalgic treats with a Big Kid Buffet. Get people together, share the foods you remember growing up with and raise money during Be a Kid Week.
How the activity works
Invite everyone to bring, make or choose something that reminds them of childhood.
Your buffet could include:
- Favourite lunchbox snacks
- Childhood party food
- Sandwiches cut into triangles
- Classic biscuits
- Crisps and sweets
- Homemade cakes
- Retro desserts
- Favourite family recipes
You could ask everyone to make a donation to join the buffet, donate what they would normally spend on lunch or contribute towards a shared fundraising target.
To make it more playful, you could vote for the most nostalgic dish, add a childhood playlist or ask people to guess who chose each favourite.
Plan your activity
- Choose a date, time and place for your buffet.
- Invite people to bring or choose a childhood favourite.
- Decide how you will collect donations.
- Make sure there is a good mix of food and drinks.
- Add any extra nostalgic touches, such as music, decorations or a vote.
- Bring everyone together and enjoy your Big Kid Buffet.
How to raise money
Choose one simple fundraising idea or combine a few approaches to suit your group, activity and available time.
There is no required fundraising target. Choose an amount that feels realistic for the size of your group and focus on making it easy and enjoyable for people to get involved.
You could:
- Ask everyone taking part for a suggested donation
- Charge a small entry fee
- Ask people to sponsor participants
- Invite donations for additional attempts
- Charge teams to enter a tournament
- Ask people to donate to vote for the winner
- Combine the challenge with refreshments, a raffle or bake sale
- Set up an online fundraising page
Helpful things to think about
Adapt it for your group
Businesses
Turn an ordinary lunch break into a nostalgic shared meal.
Ask colleagues to bring in something they remember from childhood or organise a buffet where everyone contributes.
You could run a vote for the most nostalgic dish, best lunchbox throwback or most unexpected childhood favourite.
Hybrid teams could take part by sharing photos of their chosen food and childhood memories online.
Community groups
Use a regular meeting, social event or club night as the setting for your buffet.
Ask members to bring a favourite food from childhood and, if they want to, share the story behind it.
For groups with a wide age range, this can be a great way to compare the foods different generations remember growing up with.
Families and individuals
Create a nostalgic lunch or tea at home with friends or family.
Everyone could choose one favourite childhood food, recreate an old family recipe or build a buffet made entirely from things you remember growing up with.
You could ask guests to donate to take part or set a fundraising target for the meal.
What you will need
- Food and drinks
- Plates, cups and cutlery
- Somewhere to sit and eat together
- Food labels
- Allergen information
- Optional decorations or a childhood playlist
- A way to collect donations
You do not need to buy lots of special food. The fun comes from choosing things that mean something to the people taking part.
Make it safe and inclusive
Make sure all food is clearly labelled, particularly anything homemade.
Include information about common allergens and try to provide options for different dietary requirements so everyone can take part comfortably.
Do not pressure anyone to eat or bring food they do not want to.
If children or young people are involved, follow your usual supervision and food safety arrangements.
If you are organising the buffet through a workplace or community venue, check whether there are any local rules around bringing in, preparing or serving food.
Keep the focus on sharing memories and enjoying time together rather than recreating childhood food perfectly.
Looking for another idea?
Explore more playful fundraising ideas in the Be a Kid Week Play Hub.
Why your fundraising matters
Be a Kid Week is part of the Acorns Time Machine appeal .
The money you raise will help power the specialist care Acorns provides to children with short lives and their families. By managing pain, symptoms and medication and providing expert care whenever it is needed, Acorns helps families make more of the time they have together.
Your activity will help give seriously-ill children more time to simply be kids.
Ready to help childhood take over?
Sign up to Be a Kid Week and download your free fundraising pack, full of ideas and practical guidance to help you get started.
