Drive Change is a nonprofit with one goal–keep former inmates out of prison. It’s a huge task that’s slowly being accomplished through the Snow Day Food Truck.
Drive Change founder Jordyn Lexton, spent years working as an English teacher at Rikers Island. Most of the inmates Lexton encountered were teenagers between the ages of 16-18. It seemed like no matter how hard they tried, these young men would return to prison shortly after their release.
“I witnessed a system that did not do much to help young people rehabilitate,” Lexton told the AP. “One of the few places in the jail where my students were really happy was in the culinary arts class, with the power of teamwork, camaraderie and a shared meal.”
That was the spark that led Lexton to create Drive Change. The nonprofit offers paid fellowships to formerly incarcerated youth starting at $9 an hour. That number is raised to $11 once they become fully-trained and certified.
The food truck’s had an undeniably positive effect on its employees like similar programs. Many of them have gone on to work at restaurants and catering companies.
But Drive Change teaches more than just culinary skills. It helps build confidence, so that each person is mentally and emotionally prepared to re-enter society and stay there.
