A couple of months ago we introduced you to Shamon, who is one of our four food truck associates. Now it’s time to get to know the rest of the crew—Chris (who many of you may remember from last season), Griffin, and our summer intern, Braylon, who’s been hanging out with the guys and jumping right in!

Get to Know Shamon (Reminder)

• What’s your favorite food to eat? Fried chicken and rice!
• What’s your favorite meal to cook? Authentic ramen.
• What are you most looking forward to on the truck? Cooking and cleaning.
• What do you plan on doing with the money that you earn? Buying Asian food and video games!
• What do you hope to learn? “I hope to get good experience so that I can get a job after this and carry on my skills from this to the next job.”
• What do you like doing in your free time? I like to eat food while watching movies.

Get to Know Chris

• What’s your favorite food to eat? Italian food – especially chicken alfredo!
• What’s your favorite meal to cook? Mac and Cheese.
• What are you most looking forward to on the truck? Cooking Mac and Cheese.
• What do you plan on doing with the money that you earn? Buy wrapping paper from HomeGoods!
• What do you hope to learn? I hope to improve my knife skills.
• What do you like doing in your free time? Listen to music – especially Tom Petty!

Get to Know Griffin

• What’s your favorite food to eat? Homemade fried potatoes!
• What’s your favorite meal to cook? Steak and hamburgers on the grill.
• What are you most looking forward to on the truck? Getting to know new people and make friends.
• What do you plan on doing with the money that you earn? Saving it up to take my girlfriend on really nice dates!
• What do you hope to learn? How to take inventory and general upkeep of the truck.
• What do you like doing in your free time? Bowling, spending time with family, video games, and helping out my grandpa with yardwork!

Get to Know Braylon

• What’s your favorite food to eat? Mac & Cheese and Cheeseburgers!
• What’s your favorite meal to cook? Grilled Cheese.
• What are you most looking forward to on the truck? Getting to meet and supervise my amazing staff!
• What do you plan on doing with the money that you earn? Saving it up to get a darker tint and buy black rims for my new car!
• What do you hope to learn? I want to learn how to manage and lead a team effectively.
• What do you like doing in your free time? Play video games, workout and watch football! I also like to spend time with my family and friends.

Each of these team members brings their own personality, enthusiasm, and unique strengths to Cheese & Thank You. Getting to know our participants reminds us why this program is so special—it builds confidence, independence, and real-world skills that last far beyond the food truck.

We Still Need Volunteer Drivers! To keep the Cheese & Thank You truck rolling smoothly, we are actively looking for volunteers to drive our participants to and from community events. This important role helps ensure our team members can safely participate and gain meaningful work experience. If you have a reliable vehicle and a flexible schedule, your help would make a big difference.

Interested? Please email Kelsie Winters at kwinters@newhopeofindiana.org.

The Cheese & Thank You food truck serves the greater Indianapolis area and is available for events, festivals, and private gatherings. For the latest schedule, menu, and booking information, visit www.cheeseandthankyou.org.

Thank you for supporting New Hope’s mission of inclusion and empowerment. Every mac-n-cheese sold and every volunteer hour given helps our participants build brighter futures—one cheesy bite at a time!