Toot Toot! The Youth Bureau Food Truck will be rolling into Gardella Park at 2pm on Thursday, August 5th. Come and enjoy hot dogs, chicken fingers and french fries at $1 a piece.
White Plains Mayor Tom Roach announced the launch of an innovative new program called Project Thrive, a youth entrepreneurship food truck program. Thrive participants will learn all aspects of managing and running a food truck business, including designing the menu, preparing the food, and creating the marketing for the truck.
The launch event took place on Thursday, July 22nd, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Winbrook Public Housing complex, in the back of Bethel Baptist Church, 1 Fisher Court in White Plains. The public was invited to attend. The event also featured other resources for residents including health, financial, and recreational.
The goal of Project Thrive is to help participants gain financial literacy, entrepreneurship and employment skills, and community service, through real life, soup to nuts, hands–on, experience in a food enterprise. This year’s inaugural class includes four participants and covers the remainder of the summer months. The Youth Bureau intends to incorporate the Project Thrive Food Truck Entrepreneurial Program into its Summer Youth Employment Program and offer it annually.
The City of White Plains received a $10,000 DollarWise Innovation Grant from the United States Conference of Mayors to launch the program. Project Thrive is administered by the White Plains Youth Bureau. The program is supported by a number of community partners, including the White Plains Planning Department, White Plains Housing Authority, White Plains Ministers Fellowship and Vicinity Council, The Winbrook Community Resource Committee, Grandpas United, and a number of others. Aldean Nicholson, owner of the food truck business, Infinity Food LLC, is contributing his food truck to this program.
The menu for Thursday’s launch includes hot dogs, chicken fingers, and French fries, apples and oranges!