For some people in Tuscaloosa, there really is a free lunch. That’s the promise of the American Lunch truck, a nonprofit food truck sponsored by downtown Tuscaloosa restaurants Chuck’s Fish and FIVE that provides free lunch to those in need in Tuscaloosa.
Chatham Morgan, whose father, Charles Morgan, owns FIVE and Chuck’s Fish, had the idea for American Lunch in a UA course called Leadership Development through Community Service taught by Caring Days Adult Day Care founder Ellen Potts. In thinking of a hypothetical charity for the class, Morgan realized that a problem that kept people in need from going to soup kitchens was a lack of available transportation. Morgan saw the rising popularity of food trucks as a solution to this problem, which eventually led to the realization of the American Lunch truck.
“By eliminating the hassle of transportation, we figured [we] would be able to maximize our outreach potential,” Morgan said.
The truck parks at a different location every Monday through Friday. The truck is located at Crescent East on Mondays, Beulah Baptist Church on Tuesdays, Rosedale Baptist Church on Wednesdays, Alberta Baptist Church on Thursdays and Tuscaloosa County Courthouse on Fridays. They also post their location and menu on their Twitter and Facebook pages.
The meal provided each day, which is prepared at FIVE or Chuck’s Fish, consists of the soup of the day, either loaded potato, creamy chicken noodle, chicken and rice or seafood gumbo, toasted bread and a water or sweet tea. The truck is equipped to feed roughly 100 people each day and serves conservatively 300 people each week, according to American Lunch manager Ken Vidovic.
Unlike a traditional soup kitchen, the American Lunch truck is not only intended for those in need. Anyone who can come to the truck’s location is welcome to enjoy the soup of the day.
“We’re here for everybody,” Vidovic said. “The fact that we can reach out to so many people from one end to the other is what [the truck] is for.”
Allowing access to the entire community is the owners of FIVE and Chuck’s Fish’s way of giving back to the community for supporting these restaurants and encouraging the culture of altruism among Tuscaloosa’s local businesses and community members.
“For us with FIVE and Chuck’s Fish the Tuscaloosa community’s given so much to my family that we feel it’s our moral obligation to give back to the community that supports our family,” Morgan said. “For us it’s always been these local businesses that have a far greater impact on their local communities than big box stores.”
According to Morgan, it was essential to have a crew and business that is committed to helping the community in order to start American Lunch.
“[It’s important to] have a crew like the folks at the [FIVE and Chuck’s Fish], in particular Cris Eddings, who’s the managing partner, who have the drive and and the desire to help folks out,” Morgan said.
In addition to catering to its daily location, American Lunch is also available for community events. It has already catered some larger events, including a recent event for veterans.
So far, FIVE chef James Duncan said people have been pleasantly surprised by the prospect of a free lunch with no strings attached.
“People are kind of surprised that it’s free. [They ask] ‘what’s the catch,’ but we want people to know that there’s really not a catch,” Duncan said.
Vidovic hopes American Lunch will bring people together in Tuscaloosa by letting them know they are part of a community that cares for them.
“People can see that there are people who are here to help everybody else,” he said.
In the future, the coordinators of American Lunch hope to expand the organization’s reach into other areas with FIVE and Chuck’s Fish restaurants, such as Birmingham, Ala., Destin, Fla. and Athens, Ga. Morgan believes the program has national potential.
Individuals or groups interested in volunteering with the food truck can find volunteer information or make a donation through the American Lunch website, www.americanlunch.org.
