King of Prussia District Igloo Garden returns in November

Reservations are now open for the King of Prussia District’s Igloo Garden on the Green, an outdoor dining experience pop-up in the heart of King of Prussia Town Center’s green space. Igloo Garden on the Green runs from Nov. 7 to 14 to help fight food insecurity in the community.

The pop-up igloo garden features six furnished and heated igloos provided by AVE King of Prussia and Ethan Allen, offering a private setting for takeout dining. There is no restaurant service available onsite, but the igloos feature amenities like sparkling lights, cozy décor and Bluetooth speakers to provide a personalized soundtrack for the experience, according to a press release.

In addition, Igloo Garden on the Green will feature live music on select evenings, and a number of King of Prussia restaurants are offering takeout specials during the week.

Each igloo has a maximum capacity of six guests and requires a $15 per person donation to Upper Merion Area Community Cupboard (UMACC) for reservations from noon to 4 p.m. and $20 per person for reservations from 5 to 8 p.m. One-hundred percent of that reservation fee goes to the Community Cupboard. The igloos are bookable through OpenTable.

Igloo Garden on the Green is part of King of Prussia District’s 12th Annual KOP Takes Out Hunger food drive, which runs Nov. 1 to 30, and benefits the Upper Merion Area Community Cupboard (UMACC). It is the second year the igloo garden has been part of the month-long food drive.

Presented by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s King of Prussia Campus (CHOP), the food drive incudes more than 34 boxes at 22 locations throughout King of Prussia for community members to make their non-perishable donations. In addition to the funds raised through the reservation donations, Igloo Garden on the Green will be collecting food donations.

“We were thrilled with the response to Igloo Garden on the Green and the food drive in 2022,” Eric Goldstein, president & CEO of King of Prussia District, said in a statement. “Igloo reservations filled in record time. In one week, we raised $15,000 for UMACC, in addition to 3,500 pounds of food during our month-long food drive. We are grateful for this community’s generosity and feel confident that we will surpass these totals in 2023.”

Reservations opened on Oct. 17, and according to Rachel Ammon, director, marketing and communications for King of Prussia district, the evenings and weekends are filling quickly, as well as the daytime slots. She added that while the igloos are “quite magical at night, they are also a fun and unique option for a daytime lunch, a coffee date with a friend or even an informal meeting.”

Last year, according to Ammon, nights and weekends filled completely and there was a wait list. Some availability during the day Monday to Thursday last year, allowed for walk-ins. She said the addition of the sixth igloo this year will help the organization accommodate the demand.

“King of Prussia is a community that comes together to support one another, and Igloo Garden on the Green is a perfect illustration of that spirit,” Ammon said Tuesday. “From the hundreds who will donate to dine with us Nov. 7-14, to the sponsors who support this activation, especially presenting sponsor Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the community has embraced this activation and its mission to help fight hunger in Upper Merion Township. We are grateful and humbled by the response once again.”

Upper Merion Area Community Cupboard is a food pantry open to anyone who lives within the bounds of the Upper Merion Area School District and is hungry or food insufficient. The Community Cupboard is located in the Valley Forge Presbyterian Church at 191 Town Center Road in King of Prussia.

For more information about Upper Merion Area Community Cupboard, including donation and volunteer opportunities, visit umacc.org.

More information about the KOP Takes Out Hunger Food Drive or Igloo Garden on the Green, including booking details, can be found on VisiKOP.com/igloogarden.