NOURISHING COMMUNITY: Our Origins
The Food For Thought food buggy, at its core, fulfills John Carroll University's comprehensive and holistic Jesuit mission while actualizing the University as a social entrepreneurship leader in Cleveland.
Students will implement a business model to sell
lunch for a profit during the day, and
use profits to feed Cleveland's homeless
during nights and weekends.
Experiential learning and community engagement are hallmarks of a John Carroll University education.
This experiential learning project is designed to provide a way to help students creatively leverage both the capacity to make a profit and make a difference by building and nourishing community with those in need.
The power of collaboration is critical to our success. Students will collaborate with partners including the Center for Service and Social Action, the Donnelly School of Leadership and Social Innovation, Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries, and the Chopping for Change Program.
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“Being able to choose a hot meal off a menu provides a dignity that many facing homelessness don't usually receive during their day-to-day. Our food buggy enables our students to understand the power of that simple gesture. ”
Doan Winkel, Director of Donnelly School of Leadership & Social Innovation at John Carroll University
NOURISHING COMMUNITY: Our Objectives
This project is a student-run social enterprise, delivering a hot meal and dignity to the homeless population throughout Cleveland.
As each successive group of students participates in this project and improves upon the work of the previous group, they will:
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encounter successes and failures,
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learn to draw on the strengths and talents of each other,
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have to be creative and nimble,
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have to apply what they know and learn what they don't know,
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have to be open to making changes, adaptations, and mid-course corrections.
“We want students to see and understand the power of collaboration and the responsibility they have to build and nourish community. We want students to use this opportunity to become thought leaders, change agents, community builders and ethical leaders.”
Sister Katherine Feely, Director of the Center for Service and Social Action at John Carroll University
Menu
JCU students are developing menu items for Spring 2023
We are looking for Cleveland restaurants interested in partnering with this student-run social venture to serve your food. If interested, please reach out to our team at foodbuggy@jcu.edu
SPECIAL EVENTS
We serve lunch at various locations around Cleveland,
and also can be hired for special events.
All profits will be used to serve hot meals and choice of menu options
to homeless around Cleveland.
There is a $1,250 minimum charge to book Food For Thought for all occasions. That amount is based on 40 guests. Above and beyond 40 guests, there is a $15 per person charge
For every event, we apply a labor fee of $300 to cover transportation, set up, prep, execution of menu, service and clean up. Above 50 guests, an additional labor fee of $150 applies.
LEARN MORE: News
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ABOUT US
Katherine Feely, SND, Ed.D. is the director of John Carroll University's Center for Service and Social Action. She holds an Ed.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.A. in Social Ethics from Boston College and a B.S. in Accounting and Economics from Villanova University.
Doan Winkel is the Director of John Carroll University's Donnelly School of Leadership and Social Innovation, the Director of the Muldoon Center for Entrepreneurship, and an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship. He spends his days dreaming of big ideas to provide students with experiential learning opportunities.