Selma Housing Authority unveils new food truck initiative

Selma Housing Authority| Selma and Dallas County Chamber of Commerce

By Faith Callens

Special to the Selma and Dallas County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Information

Today, The Selma Housing Authority will unveil its first-ever food truck initiative at its Rangedale Community Center on 1 Twilley Avenue in Selma that will provide SHA residents’ hope and hot meals.

SHA President Kennard Randolph said the food truck initiative is an innovative project that was developed in collaboration with the SHA’s Jobs Plus Program. A program in which he said, “aims to provide residents with fresh, hot and delicious meals while simultaneously offering training and employment opportunities to SHA residents interested in the culinary and hospitality fields.”

The official ribbon cutting ceremony for the organization’s latest initiative will kick off at 3:30 p.m. today and last until 5:00 p.m. Randolph said there will be remarks from the SHA leadership, community partners and several local officials including Mayor James Perkins Jr. and Dallas County Probate Judge Jimmy Nunn. The event will also include a tour of the food truck and its complimentary tastings.

“The name for the food truck, “Serving Up Hope and Hot Meals” came from a Facebook competition,” Randolph said. “Where we decided to allow the community and our residents to decide on what they wanted the slogan to be and the slogan for the food truck that we have today won first place.”

Randolph said the food truck initiative has always been an idea that he has had in mind for some time and said he saw the perfect opportunity to implement it when the organization was awarded the Jobs Plus Program grant last year.

“So, I thought it would be a good idea to use this food truck initiative to allow our residents to learn a culinary skill or get some type of culinary training through the food truck. While they are getting the training, they can work on the food truck and make some revenue and hopefully they may want to start their own food truck or catering business,” Randolph said.

Randolph continued by saying, “Serving Up Hope and Hot Meals” is more than just a food truck, it’s a symbol of compassion, community, and opportunity. It reflects our commitment to meeting residents where they are, addressing food insecurity, and empowering our community with workforce development skills.”

Randolph also explained in-depth about the three crucial components that make up the food truck initiative and the values it stands upon.

“One, we have to make sure that we are compassionate and that we are able to reach them where they are, to pull them up, and to give them a helping hand to become self-sufficient. Two, the community pillar of this initiative is more so of when you see our different developments and the people there, we want residents to understand that they are not isolated and that they are apart of the community as well. Sometimes people can feel like they are isolated based on their condition, based on where they live but I want them to feel a sense of community and to know there is no isolation and that we are all one community.”

Lastly, Randolph spoke on the opportunity pillar of the initiative, where he said that the SHA wants to give residents the opportunity through this food truck and through other opportunities sponsored by the Jobs Plus Program Grant to become self-sufficient, gainfully employed and to make a good life for their families.

Randolph said the food truck will serve as a mobile kitchen, delivering meals directly to the SHA neighborhoods and community events while ensuring all residents have convenient access to a variety of food options. He also said one thing that makes the organization’s newest initiative stand out is the fact that they are the first housing authority in the State of Alabama to operate a food truck.

“So, that right there sets us apart from other agencies,” Randolph said. “And one of other things that sets us apart is that this food truck was not designed or created to just make a profit. It was designed to provide hope, a sense of belonging and to just help in areas throughout our city and our communities where we can feed people who are hungry.”

Randolph said through this initiative, SHA strives to do their part to make sure that there’s no family unfed, no family left feeling like they are not cared for or that there’s no concern. He said he is definitely concerned about the community, and he strives to do all he can to make the community better.

The ribbon cutting ceremony is open to the public and Randolph said that he encourages community members to attend and witness firsthand how the Selma Housing Authority continues to invest in initiatives that uplift residents.

For more information, visit selmahousing.com. or contact Selma Housing Authority at 334-874-6271 or 334-874-5567.