Help Amber & The Girls Get Their Food Truck On The Road!

Introduction

Hey! My name’s Brent, and I’m here to support my wife, Amber Marie, and our daughters Veda (17), Riley (14), and Josie (10).

Having a true servant’s heart, Amber splits her time between caring for her family, working full time, and supporting others. She has an incredible work ethic. In 25 years in the restaurant industry, she’s only taken a handful of sick days. She is the kind of woman who can’t walk past a person in need. She’s created such a culture of giving in our family, that our children genuinely find more joy in helping others than receiving themselves.

While some of you may be lucky enough to know her personally, most people know about my incredible wife through me. See, over the last decade or so, she has been the silent supporter of many volunteer projects and charitable efforts. Without that support, most of those works would never have happened. From disaster relief to homeless outreach, it has been her encouragement, support, and even insistence that has provided many volunteers and donors the opportunity to be a positive force in the lives of others.

Maybe more impressive, though, is that she is the rare type of person who does an act of kindness for the sake of the kindness itself. Amber actively avoids taking credit or praise. Rather than standing in the spotlight, she’s happy to work quietly behind the scenes. Outside the folks she stops to feed multiple times a week, most people she’s helped have no idea who she is.

So, after years of watching this amazing woman give of herself to lift up those in need, and support others in following their goals, I think it’s past time for her to start chasing her own dream.

The Story

I always started our dates by asking if there was anything special she wanted to do. The first few times, she was pretty happy to let me take the lead. Pretty soon, though, she was comfortable enough to make a suggestion. She wanted to go grocery shopping. These groceries weren’t for her, though. She knew a family with 4 kids that just weren’t making ends meet and she wanted to help. More specifically, she wanted us to help. I didn’t know it at the time, but Amber knew what it was like to be hungry. She knew what it was like to be without, and she needed to help.

So, she spent that whole date shopping for that family. I spent the whole date watching her smiling as she spent all my money and her own. It was incredible. When we were done, I stared on as she delivered those groceries to wide, grateful eyes. And, having spent my entire paycheck, I was shocked at how happy, and grateful I was to be standing there with her with absolutely nothing in my pocket. I was hooked. I wanted to spend every spare moment I had with her. And, I did.

The problem was, she lived about 45 minutes away. So, I would drive the hour and a half round trip every evening to pick her up from work and drop her off at home just to see her for a few minutes. On my days off, I would make the drive to sit in a booth at the diner where she worked. I’d have my meals there, and make friends with the staff and customers while I waited for the opportunity to talk to her during a break or a lull in business. I’d sit, watching her happily waiting tables, chatting with customers, and seeing them light up at the interactions. I fell in love with her in that diner, watching everyone else fall in love with her too.

Later, when those children from our date ended up needing a home, it was a very pregnant Amber that insisted that we could make the room. We were approved for foster care and all 4 kids, all 6 and under, came to stay until they were able to return home.

And, that’s kind of Amber’s thing. Like, her whole thing. There’s always been someone that just needed a place to stay for a while, or something to eat, or a friendly conversation. She loves food and she loves serving people. Her whole life revolves around it. It’s why she’s spent 25 years in the restaurants, and why her dream is to run a family restaurant, starting with this food truck, where she and her family can grow in their service to their community, not just by serving up fantastic food, but by giving back.

With the opening of her food truck, Amber plans to launch her “Sunday Supper” program. Starting one Sunday per Month, with plans to quickly expand, she’ll serve from a limited at no cost. With plans to be more than a brown bag program, Sunday Supper will allow those in need to order from an actual menu and receive meals cooked to order. The hope is to provide, not just food, but fellowship and a sense of normalcy for those in need of it.

She plans to support local producers by only serving locally sourced seafood, frequenting local farms, and highlighting them all on social media and in free advertising on her truck and in her shop. She wants to preserve regional cuisine and food culture by sharing it with the constant influx of tourists and new residents rather than watch it be washed away by “progress.”

Unfortunately, though, I need some help getting her there. After years of helping others and volunteering, the last few years have seen some hurdles laid in our path. Some medical issues, and other circumstances beyond our control, have severely limited our ability to be a 2 income household again. While we were able to purchase a food trailer, commercial equipment, and a truck, we’ve run into some unforeseen issues.

First, was the food trailer needs a bit more work than we thought to get it up to code. We’ve found a couple of major leaks and a couple of structural issues. Most everything inside needs to be renovated other than the equipment, though there is a purchase or 2 to be made there as well. Next, the truck we’d bought to tow the food trailer bit the dust unexpectedly.

Our daughters, with help from mom and dad, do plan to sell concessions like lemonades and teas to help pay for the renovations while we do the renovations, and we’re certainly saving on our own, but that’s not going to get them there. So, they need some help.

The Need

We’re looking for help to cover these unexpected expenses so that this mother can finally achieve her dream of becoming a business owner, and growing in service to her community, and her family.

Transportation: A truck to tow with isn’t just essential for traveling to special events, it’s legally required. Each day, the food trailer has to be towed to a commissary to be cleaned and stocked. Luckily, with our small trailer, we don’t need anything massive.

Unexpected Repairs: While the leaks in the roof should be fixed within days of writing this, there’s still a lot to do. The walls and ceiling are being refinished with filler, primer, and paint. Some of the wall panels are being replaced. The flooring is being replaced, and all the trim as well. Counters and cabinets have to be rebuilt, and the exterior will have to be sanded and repainted. She’s also having to replace all the lights, most of the wiring, and plumbing. We can do all the labor, but the cost of materials is really slowing her down.

Unexpected Purchases: Most of the equipment she needs came with the food trailer, but she’ll need a new point of sale system and likely a new commercial reach in cooler.

Opening Costs: After sinking all we could save into the purchase and partial renovation of the food trailer, it started eating into the opening budget. Things that were previously covered in the budget, like government fees, disposable products, and even the initial food purchase have all been impacted.

Sunday Supper Program: Any donations received beyond what’s necessary to open the doors, will go directly to the expansion of the Sunday Supper Program and to providing individuals meals throughout the week. Donors, unless anonymous, will be named as the ladies hand out meals and thanked publicly on social media.

How You Can Help

Our goal here is to raise money, but that’s not the only way you can help.

Donate: Click the "Donate" button and give whatever you can. No amount is too small. Even the smallest donation helps them get there.

Share: Please share this campaign with your friends, family, and social networks. Spreading the word is crucial to reaching our goal. Have a friend with a social media following or a podcast with a soft spot for female entrepreneurs, food, or community service? Send them our story. The more eyes on this project, the faster this deserving woman and these amazing kids get to achieve their dream!

Thank you!

If you’ve gotten this far, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. I mean, I could… Obviously, brevity isn’t really my strong suit, but I imagine you’ve heard enough from me. So, I’ll leave you with a most sincere thank you. Whether you leave a donation or you share the link, you’re making a difference in the lives of my favorite people. You’d be hard pressed to find a more deserving team.

Updates

Don’t worry. We’ll keep you updated on all the progress here, and you can follow Amber at Amber Marie on Facebook! where she’ll be posting even more updates and tons of original content very soon. Check her out!

Thank you so much for your support.

Amber, Veda, Riley, and Josie.