When a Meal Becomes a Bridge: How Trust is Built at a Food Truck Window

“Trust is gained in drops, and lost in buckets.”

When I started volunteering and interning at nonprofits in high school and college, one of the things that drew me in was that no two days looked the same. Anyone who has worked in this sector knows your job title only scratches the surface of what you actually do.

I never would have imagined putting “food truck experience” on my résumé, but one of my favorite roles at Make-A-Day is working the window of our food truck. I get to see so many smiling faces and hear so many stories. In the short moments we have together, I do my best to make people feel seen.

What I never expected was how much trust is built in those moments, and how much it takes to earn it.

I have never had to trust someone else with my food the way our guests do. Someone else may have prepared my meals, but I could still choose what I wanted or ask for alternatives. I have never had to choose between eating something I didn’t like and not eating at all.

Our guests trust us to show up and give them a meal they will enjoy. We don’t release a menu ahead of time, so most arrive not knowing what will be served but expecting a high-quality meal.

You can always tell the difference between a familiar guest and someone we haven’t met before. Regulars step up to the truck without a second glance at the menu, eager to be surprised. New guests take a little longer. They ask more questions. Some even turn down a meal until they see someone else enjoying it. But over time, they come to realize that any meal we serve will be a good one.

“I’ve never gotten anything from this truck I didn’t like.”

To trust someone to feed you is to trust them with your most basic need. Every week, when someone asks about the meal we are serving, unsure if it will be something they want, I see it as a chance to build that trust, drop by drop.

At Make-A-Day, this is what we do far beyond the food truck window. Every service we offer, every partner we bring in, every conversation we have is another drop in the bucket of trust. And when that trust is full, it becomes the bridge to the next step, housing, employment, recovery, and community. Trust is where change begins.

You can be part of building that trust. Volunteer with us to serve meals, connect guests to resources, and offer a listening ear. Or make a gift today to help us keep showing up, drop by drop, until trust turns into lasting change.