JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Northside Jacksonville food truck owner is stepping up in a big way this summer, making sure children in the community do not go hungry while school is out.
Inside The Food Doctor food truck on North Myrtle Avenue, owner Mrs. Tea says the mission is simple, but the need is urgent. She says the area is considered a food desert, and she felt called to step in and help families struggling to keep kids fed during the summer months.
“It is a bit of a food desert over here, so I saw the need to be able to provide assistance for the parents by feeding the kids,” Mrs. Tea said.
What started as a local effort has turned into a growing summer lunch program built on community support and a unique pay-it-forward system.
When customers purchase a meal from the truck, staff take the receipt and tape it to the window. When a child comes up to the window, they are able to choose from those prepaid receipts and receive a meal at no cost.
“So what happens is when anyone comes to the truck, they can purchase one of the meals, which is our summer lunch meals right here on the menu, and when they purchase we take the receipt, we tape it on the window, so when the child comes to the window they can choose any of the receipts because their meals are already paid for,” she said.
Mrs. Tea says the program has already seen a strong community response, with donations helping cover additional meals for children across the Northside. This GoFundMe campaign, created to support the effort, is nearing its goal just days after launching.
She says she is not doing it alone, crediting her team and the community for helping keep the operation running smoothly.
The Food Doctor operates out of 3002 North Myrtle Avenue, and Mrs. Tea says she plans to keep the summer lunch program going as long as children are out of school and the grill is hot.
As summer continues, she says the mission remains the same, making sure no child is left hungry in her community.
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