Get our free mobile app

Introducing Victoria's newest food truck.

Spearheaded by her love for the community, Jill Blucher, Community Engagement Coordinator for United Way of the Crossroads, is helping to feed families in need with the latest in community resource sharing, "free pantries', also known as ' blessing boxes" and this one is shaped exactly like a food truck.

Dinner's ready!

"Dinner's ready" is a term most of us hear daily, but for some families in the Crossroads, phrases like this one aren't as easily spoken, especially since COVID put so many working families through the wringer.

Where did the idea for a "community food truck" start?

"We were planning for our Summer of Caring campaign with six weeks of focused incentives and during the planning of 'Caring for your Neighbors week', Kim Pickens, of The Humility Project, and Lead Community Navigator for the United Way of the Crossroads, suggested it. I did a quick google search and it took me to littlefreepantry.org!" Jill offers.

Little Free Pantry is incredible and I hope each of our listeners gets involved!  According to their website, " The mini pantry movement is a grassroots, crowdsourced solution to immediate and local need. Whether a need for food or a need to give, mini pantries help feed neighbors, nourishing neighborhoods.'

And as Jill suggests, if you build one, you can add it to the national registry!

Her first one is located at 801 E. Mistletoe right here in Victoria.

Photo permission from Jill Blucher
Photo permission from Jill Blucher
loading...

"I would love to see them in neighborhoods all across the Crossroads, I'd love to see neighbors contributing as well as taking what they need. This is one more way to build community after we have been so insulated this past year." Jill continues, "Over the course of the last 15 months, it's become obvious that people need community, they need resources and they need to know their neighbors care. This is an easy and creative way to meet all three of those needs. "

How hard are they to build?

Jill says there are a million blueprints on Pinterest and offers that she went to the thrift store and bought a broken Barbie bus for $3.99, spray painted it, used plastic sheeting for doors, and "The whole thing cost maybe ten bucks."

Imagine if as a community we came together and built one for every city block!

Jill offers, "You can be as creative as you want. You can make them out of anything. "

And we hope you do.

Because every child in the Crossroads should be able to hear that dinner is ready. 

Where can you get more information?

Jill offers that you can email her at jill@unitedwaycrossroads.org for more information.

In Your Words What Downtown Needs Next

Texas Tax Free Weekend Here's Some Stuff You Can Buy!

MOST DANGEROUS INTERSECTIONS IN VICTORIA

Based off of 2020 Data

 

 

More From 98.7 Jack FM