Social Justice Food Truck To Give Out Free Meals In Brownsville

BROWNSVILLE, BROOKLYN — Brownsville residents can get a bite to eat and learn how to cook their own tasty meals at a series of monthly events this summer. The Brooklyn-based nonprofit Drive Change will bring its self-styled social justice food truck to the Gregory Jackson Center to kick off its "Access Day" initiative on May 18.

The events, held monthly in Brownsville from May to July, will feature free food from the Drive Change truck and live cooking demonstrations that will show guests how to make meals with ingredients available at local markets and community gardens, Drive Change COO Jennifer Williams said.

The program aims to address food insecurity while celebrating a neighborhood "that doesn’t generally receive the celebration that it deserves," Williams said. The events will also feature a DJ, art installations and giveaways.

"Brownsville is a thriving and robust community and deserves to be lauded and deserves to have a spotlight," she said.

Founded in 2012, Drive Change employs formerly incarcerated New Yorkers in its food truck through a paid fellowship program that teaches skills they can take into jobs.

The Access Day program aims to help expand food options in neighborhoods that don't have many. The Drive Change truck will serve up big portions that local residents can eat on the spot or take home, Williams said.

While the menu will be a surprise, each person who attends will get a recipe card so they can recreate the dishes at home, Williams said. And the cooking demonstrations will help show people what they can do with the groceries that are available to them, she said.

Drive Change plans to bring Access Days to different neighborhoods every few months, Williams said.

The program is part of the organization's "A+A," or "Awareness & Access" campaign. It'll be paired with "Awareness Days," which aim to spark discussions about criminal justice issues alongside free meals and other fun activities.

The first Awareness Day, set for May 11 at Union Square from noon to 5 p.m., will focus on bail reform.

The first Access Day will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, May 18 at the Gregory Jackson Center at 519 Rockaway Ave. in Brownsville.

(Lead image: Drive Change will bring its food truck to the Gregory Jackson Center in Brownsville on May 18 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Photo courtesy of Drive Change)