Drawing inspiration from the Williamsburg Kind movement– you’ll find the program’s trademark circular sticker on the food truck’s window–Matchsticks BBQ owners Matt and Nicole Sileno created “The Lunchbox Program” to spread kindness to area school children.
“There was a large debt for student lunches in the Williamsburg-James City County schools. There were a lot of families that couldn’t afford to feed their children,” said Matt. “That really struck a chord for Nicole and I.”
The couple, who found out about the school lunch debt problem through local media outlets, approached the school system to learn more about the issue. After speaking with school officials, Matchsticks BBQ launched “The Lunchbox Program.”
“One of the things we wanted to do upon starting our business was give back. After
learning what we did and speaking with community members about the issue of lunch debt and homelessness, starting this program was a no brainer. We hope to eventually expand from a local program to a national one,” shared Nicole.
The initiative enables patrons who visit the food truck to make a $2 donation to help offset school lunch debt.
“[June] was the first full month, and we’ve raised close to $500,” Matt said, stating the company’s mission is to “pay off the debt and create a surplus so that kids who don’t get lunch every day can have lunch.”
News of the food truck’s charity has spread beyond Williamsburg. Its social media posts have inspired other people to spread similar kindness.
“We’ve had a few customers tell us that family members out of state saw our posts and they want to get involved for their local schools,” said Matt. “One of our regular customers said his sister in West Virginia wanted to start a program just like ours.
“It’s cool to see ideas spread like wildfire.”
Learn more at matchsticksbbq.com/shop/the-lunch-box-program-donation