Vegan Food Truck Offers Meals to Homeless in L.A.
“My motto in life is ‘If you think it, you can do it’ and if we all apply that thought we can end hunger the world over.” – Dionne Warwick
STOP!!! Take a minute to pause and think. When is the last time you felt compelled to do something about a situation you saw or heard about within your community? Most of us are so busy just trying to make it through another jam-packed day that we rarely even consider how we can make a difference to the people or circumstances around us.
Unlike most of us, Jaden Smith (actor, rapper and entrepreneur) decided to stop long enough to allocate his time and money to come up with an innovative approach to help those effected by the growing homeless crisis in the Los Angeles area. According to an article on Upworthy.com, “Over the past six years, the unhoused population in the city has risen 75 percent. The city’s lack of homeless shelters and affordable housing has forced many who can’t afford L.A.’s sky-high rents to live on the streets.”
Rather than spending his 21st birthday partying with friends, instead he parked a food truck on a downtown street in L.A. and handed out healthy vegan meals to unhoused people in the area at absolutely no charge. The name of his truck and the food bowls he handed out is a perfect description of his intent: “I LOVE YOU” restaurant and bowls. He has plans to do it again multiple times during the rest of 2019.
Just like the story of the little girl on the beach seeing 1000s of starfish suffocating and choosing to save as many as possible by tossing them back into the ocean one at a time, you, too, can make a difference to that ONE person in your community by stopping long enough to meet their need.
The next time you see a homeless person, consider STOPPING to smile, ask their name, and offer to buy them a meal. And if you really want to make them feel loved, consider sitting with them while they eat to get to know them before you go on with your day.
If you can’t afford to buy them a meal, make a point of blocking out time the next day to pack up a few sandwiches / side items in your own kitchen to drop off to the homeless in your community on your way to wherever you have to be. That loving gesture may be the emotional fuel they need to make it through another rough day on the streets.
Sheltering Grace Ministry, Ltd. is a 501(c)3 Ltd. non-profit ministry. We resolve the initial crisis of homelessness by providing mothers with a safe place to live during pregnancy. We also equip them with the tools they need to improve decision-making, enhance employment options, and increase family income to act responsibly as the head of their household. All of our services develop their self-reliance to progress to permanent independent living. Please join us in renewing and rebuilding the lives of these brave women – #Be1of5000.
