The 5pm Post – Donate a Pickup Truck to DC Central Kitchen for a very cool Project

Photo by PoPville flickr user lmno.p

“Dear PoP,

This spring, as part of a new national school garden initiative, DCCK will be partnering with the Truck Farm project to build a DC Truck Farm. The result will be a mobile school garden in the back of a pick-up truck that will serve as a tool to combat childhood obesity by engaging urban youth in interactive lessons about fresh fruits and veggies and healthy eating. In order to build our mobile farm, DC Central Kitchen seeks a donation of one pick-up truck, in good, working condition before April 1st, 2011.

If people want to contact us about this project, please direct your inquiries to [email protected]

DCCK is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation which operates a “community kitchen” recovering 1 to 2 tons of unused food from places such as hotels, restaurants, and catered events. The donated food is recycled into over 4,500 nutritious meals each day for the homeless and hungry in our Nation’s Capital. We are run by our mission of using food as a tool to “Strengthen Bodies, Empower Minds, and Build Communities.” As a part of that mission, DCCK established the Healthy Returns program to bring healthy meals and snacks to agencies serving low-income children and at-risk youth throughout the Washington DC area. In addition to healthy food, the program provides nutritional education. Through interactive and fun lessons, children are taught the skills that will enable them to make healthy food choices throughout their lives.

We will begin planting our educational garden in early April and make visits from May through September. Throughout the growing season, we will use the Truck Farm to visit our 23 Healthy Returns agencies around the city along with the 7 DC public schools that DC Central Kitchen serves. Our visits will give urban youth the chance to engage in hands-on activities with the food that nourishes them each day. We believe that this opportunity will help students to understand the importance of healthy foods and lifestyles, a lesson that will be valuable throughout their lives.”