Tow Mater is coming to Puyallup. A replica of the toothy tow truck from the Disney/Pixar movie “Cars” will roll into town for a one-day guest appearance Saturday at the Corvette & High Performance Meet at the Puyallup Fairgrounds.

For a suggested donation of $10, fans can have their photos taken with Tow Mater. Proceeds will go to the Puyallup Food Bank.

Shanna Peterson, operations manager of the food bank, said the idea started with Puyallup resident and volunteer Steve Fehrenbacher and a chance meeting.

Fehrenbacher volunteers at Puyallup High School with the Viking Motor Sports Club and the automotive technology program. He said the club participates in a car show every year.

Larry Johnson, owner of Corvette High Performance in Olympia, will run the car show. Johnson attended a meeting with the Viking Motor Sports Club to talk to members about the event at the Fairgrounds, where members will show six of their cars in the Next Generation area.

During the meeting, Johnson showed a poster of Tow Mater and explained that the tow truck is specifically used to raise money for local charities. He said it would appear at the Corvette Meet.

That got Fehrenbacher’s attention. He thought about the Puyallup Food Bank and asked, “Just what do you mean by ‘local charities?’ ”

That sealed the deal, and Fehrenbacher contacted Peterson with the idea.

Fehrenbacher volunteered to staff the table on Saturday during photos with Tow Mater, saying he would be there with his group from the high school and would be happy to lend a hand to help the food bank.

Building the life-sized replica of Tow Mater was the brainchild of Jack Walkley, owner of Cobra Construction in Everett. Walkley said they built it specifically to raise money for charities.

It took about a year to put the truck together. Walkley and his crew picked up parts throughout several states before they could complete the project.

In an effort to nail down every detail, the crew watched the movie “Cars” many times before Tow Mater was finished.

Walkley’s labor of love has translated into a lot of money that has been raised for local charities, and Peterson said the food bank can use the help.

“The recent power outage hit our community hard,” she said.

“Our numbers are through the roof,” she added. “We are serving 40 to 46 families a day, which is high for this time of month.”

Peterson said they gave out close to 2,000 meals on a recent Monday.

Hours for the car show at the Puyallup Fairgrounds are from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. General admission is $10; seniors 65 and older and active military members are $9; children ages 13 to 17 are $7; children 12 and younger are free.

Peterson said she’s grateful for the event and the money that will benefit the food bank.

“Because of our buying power, we can feed a family of four, including the cat and the dog, 12 meals on a $10 donation,” she said.

Joan Cronk is a freelance reporter for The Herald.