ALTON - Community members lined up in the Alton Housing Authority’s housing developments for free meals on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024.
From 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 7, four food trucks delivered 500 free hot meals to community members in the Oakwood Estates, Alton Acres, Toledo Estates and Alton Manor housing developments.
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“We’ll just enjoy one another and use food as a way to connect and bless the people,” explained John Michel.
Michel oversees the operations of Soulcial Kitchen and Currency of Caring, two programs that fall under the Food is Love brand and aim to fight food insecurity in the St. Louis metro area. He explained that the Currency of Caring program allows people to purchase $8 tokens to provide a free meal to their neighbors. This month, Alton Township decided to purchase 500 tokens to provide meals to community members.
“We’re going to do 500 meals, 125 meals per truck, and a total of $4,000,” said Ray Strebel, Ward Three Alderman and trustee on the Alton Township board. “We need to connect. We need to connect with our community and it’s the old saying that a rising tide lifts all boats. I think about the instant gratification of receiving a meal. When I eat a good meal, my day just got 100 times better. So that’s kind of the logic behind it. You can touch somebody, have a conversation over the sharing of food. I don’t think it gets any more simple than that.”
Strebel noted that the goal of Alton Township is to provide “general assistance and financial support for our citizens.” He said he has been hoping to partner with the Currency of Caring initiative ever since Michel came to town. When the Township board learned of Michel’s plan to bring the food trucks to the Alton Housing Authority developments on Aug. 7, they decided they wanted to fund the venture.
“Obviously, we’re treating our residents, so we can definitely justify this expenditure,” Strebel added.
He pointed out that the board of trustees includes Alderwoman Stephanie Elliott, founder of the nonprofit Stephanie’s Place, and Alderwoman Rosie Brown, who oversees Socks for Tots. Strebel said that everyone on the board has the same mission.
“We sit on the board and we discuss ways that we can connect with our community,” he explained. “Everyone’s doing the best they can.”
For more information about Alton Township and their assistance programs, visit their official website at AltonTownship.com. You can visit CurrencyOfCaring.com to learn more about the program. If you are experiencing food insecurity, click here to read about more resources in the Riverbend community.
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