HAS THE STORY OF THIS COMMUNITY CHAMPION. FIVE DAYS A WEEK, YOU’LL FIND STEVE SEELEY AND HIS TEAM OF VOLUNTEERS HARD AT WORK AT THE ICON OF BALTIMORE TEMPLE. WE JUST WANT TO MAKE IT GET OVER THERE AND THEN FEED THEM AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN. THEY COOK AND PACK AROUND 200 MEALS. TODAY. WE HAVE A SPECIAL TYPE OF TOMATO RICE WITH WITH BEANS AND CORN AND MIXED VEGETABLES. THEN THEY LOAD IT ALL UP IN THIS FOOD TRUCK. SO THIS IS HEAVY NOT TO SELL, BUT TO GIVE TO PEOPLE IN NEED. THIS IS THE LIGHTEST ONE, I THINK MR. STEVE CAME UP WITH THE BRIGHT IDEA TO USE A FOOD TRUCK TO DELIVER FREE MEALS DURING THE PANDEMIC. COVID HIT. I COULDN’T INTERACT WITH PEOPLE AND I LOVED THAT. SO THEN I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING AND I THOUGHT OF THIS. HE GOT ENOUGH DONATIONS TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. I THOUGHT, IT’S NOT A REALITY THAT WOULD LAST, BUT IT’S STILL LASTING. STEVE AND HIS TEAM USUALLY HIT A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT SPOTS TO HAND OUT FOOD, AND HE’S LETTING US TAG ALONG FOR THE DAY. SO LET’S HEAD TO THE FIRST STOP. STOP. NUMBER ONE IS MISS JANET BAILEY’S COMMUNITY FRIDGE WITH THE LIBVIRT COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION. HELLO. GOOD MORNING. HELLO. GOOD MORNING. HELLO. GOOD MORNING. IT’S A FRIDGE OPEN TO ANYONE WHO NEEDS SOMETHING TO EAT. MISTER STEVE COMES AROUND. IT’S A BLESSING FOR THE COMMUNITY. SO HE COMES AROUND, FILLS IT UP, ASKS NO QUESTIONS, MOVE ON ONCE THE FRIDGE IS FULL, MISTER STEVE AND HIS TEAM DRIVE FIVE MINUTES DOWN THE ROAD. WHERE PEOPLE WAIT FOR HIS ARRIVAL. BECAUSE WHEN THEY SEE THIS FOOD TRUCK, THEY KNOW NO ONE WILL GO HUNGRY. HEY, GUYS, FREE FOOD. WHEN THEY ROLLED THROUGH, PEOPLE KNOW THEY GOT A HOT MEAL. YOU KNOW, AND THAT’S A GOOD SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE IF IT DIDN’T COME, SOME DAYS, PEOPLE WOULDN’T EAT. MISTER STEVE CONSIDERS THE PEOPLE HE FEEDS MORE LIKE FAMILY. YES, MA’AM. HOW ARE YOU TODAY? FINE. GOOD. GOOD TO SEE YOU. AFTER STOP NUMBER TWO, MISTER STEVE AND HIS TEAM START LOOKING FOR ANYONE ELSE TO FEED. THEY GO BLOCK BY BLOCK, STREET BY STREET. GOOD THING Y’ALL REALLY DOING GOOD THINGS OUT HERE. MAKING SURE EVERYBODY EATS THIS ONE. YOU’RE WELCOME. TO ME. IT’S INVIGORATING. AND ACTUALLY, IT’S PART OF MY DEVOTIONAL SERVICE. SERVICE TO THE LORD. IT MEANS CARING FOR AND SHARING FOR HIS OTHER PEOPLE, TOO. THEY MIGHT BE HAVING A BAD DAY, BUT WHEN THEY SEE THE TRUCK THAT WE COME UP, THEY SMILE. YOU KNOW, IT’S A GENUINE HAPPINESS AND THEY GET A FREE MEAL AND THEY KNOW WHAT’S GOOD. AND WHEN EVERY GOOD MEAL IS GONE, MISTER STEVE KNOWS IT’S A JOB WELL DONE. HE GETS READY TO DO IT ALL AGAIN. BECAUSE AS LONG AS THIS FOOD TRUCK EXISTS, MISTER STEVE SAYS NO ONE GOES HUNGRY. DONATIONS KEEP THE FOOD TRUCK AFLOAT ON NOVEMBER 18TH, A GROUP OF CHURCHES ARE COMING TOGETHER TO HOST A FUND RAISING EVENT FOR HUNGER FREE ZONE. IT WILL INCLUDE FOOD, NETWORKING AND MORE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THAT EVENT AND OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP HELP HUNGER FREE ZONE, YOU CAN VISIT OUR WEBSITE IN CATONSVILLE. I’
Meet Mr. Steve, the man who uses a food truck to deliver free food to people in need
"We just want to make it, get over there and then feed them as quickly as we can."
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Updated: 8:16 PM CST Nov 20, 2023
An idea to deliver free meals in a food truck outlasted the pandemic that spurred its start.Stephen Szili and his team of volunteers are hard at work five days a week at the ISKCON of Baltimore Temple in Catonsville, Maryland, cooking and packing around 200 meals."Today, we have a special type of tomato rice with beans and corn and mixed vegetables," said Szili. "We just want to make it, get over there and then feed them as quickly as we can."Once they finish cooking and packing, they load the meals up in a food truck — not to sell, but to give to people in need. It was Szili's idea to use a food truck to deliver free meals."COVID hit and I couldn't interact with people, and I love that, so I wanted to do something, and I thought of this," said Szili, the original organizer of the Hunger Free Zone. Szili got enough donations to bring his food truck vision to life."I thought that it's not a reality that would last, but it's still lasting," said Szili. Szili, who some refer to as "Mr. Steve," and his team usually hit a couple of different spots to hand out food. He recently stopped at Janet Bailey's community fridge with the Laburt Community Association. It's a fridge open to anyone who needs something to eat."Mr. Steve comes around and it's a blessing for the community," said Bailey, who is the president of the Laburt Community Association. "He comes around, fills it up, asks no questions, moves on." Once the fridge is full, Szili and his team drove five minutes down the road, where people waited for his arrival. When people see the truck, they know no one will go hungry."When they roll through, people know they have a hot meal, and that's a service to the community because if it didn't come, some people wouldn't eat," said Clement Parker-Bey, who picks up meals from the food truck. Szili said the people he feeds are more like family."We are in the same family. That's the evidence of it all," Szili said.After Szili and his team hit their normal stops, they start looking for anyone else to feed. They go block by block and street by street to make sure everybody eats."For me, it is invigorating, and actually, it is part of my devotional service," said Szili. "Service to the Lord means caring and sharing with his other people, too. They might be having a bad day, but when they see the truck and we come up with a smile, it's a genuine happiness, and they get a free meal, and they know it's good." When every meal is gone, Szili knows it's a job well done, and he prepares to do it all again because, as long as this food truck exists, Szili says no one goes hungry. Donations keep the food truck afloat. A group of churches will come together on Saturday to host a fundraiser for Hunger Free Zone that will include food, networking and more. For more information on the event, tap here. To learn about other ways you can help Hunger Free Zone, tap here.
An idea to deliver free meals in a food truck outlasted the pandemic that spurred its start.
Stephen Szili and his team of volunteers are hard at work five days a week at the ISKCON of Baltimore Temple in Catonsville, Maryland, cooking and packing around 200 meals.
"Today, we have a special type of tomato rice with beans and corn and mixed vegetables," said Szili. "We just want to make it, get over there and then feed them as quickly as we can."
Once they finish cooking and packing, they load the meals up in a food truck — not to sell, but to give to people in need. It was Szili's idea to use a food truck to deliver free meals.
"COVID hit and I couldn't interact with people, and I love that, so I wanted to do something, and I thought of this," said Szili, the original organizer of the Hunger Free Zone.
Szili got enough donations to bring his food truck vision to life.
"I thought that it's not a reality that would last, but it's still lasting," said Szili.
Szili, who some refer to as "Mr. Steve," and his team usually hit a couple of different spots to hand out food. He recently stopped at Janet Bailey's community fridge with the Laburt Community Association. It's a fridge open to anyone who needs something to eat.
"Mr. Steve comes around and it's a blessing for the community," said Bailey, who is the president of the Laburt Community Association. "He comes around, fills it up, asks no questions, moves on."
Once the fridge is full, Szili and his team drove five minutes down the road, where people waited for his arrival. When people see the truck, they know no one will go hungry.
"When they roll through, people know they have a hot meal, and that's a service to the community because if it didn't come, some people wouldn't eat," said Clement Parker-Bey, who picks up meals from the food truck.
Szili said the people he feeds are more like family.
"We are in the same family. That's the evidence of it all," Szili said.
After Szili and his team hit their normal stops, they start looking for anyone else to feed. They go block by block and street by street to make sure everybody eats.
"For me, it is invigorating, and actually, it is part of my devotional service," said Szili. "Service to the Lord means caring and sharing with his other people, too. They might be having a bad day, but when they see the truck and we come up with a smile, it's a genuine happiness, and they get a free meal, and they know it's good."
When every meal is gone, Szili knows it's a job well done, and he prepares to do it all again because, as long as this food truck exists, Szili says no one goes hungry.
Donations keep the food truck afloat. A group of churches will come together on Saturday to host a fundraiser for Hunger Free Zone that will include food, networking and more. For more information on the event, tap here.
To learn about other ways you can help Hunger Free Zone, tap here.
