Teens Working at This Dallas Restaurant Pack 1,600 Meal Kits Every Week for Families in Need
In March of this year, Café Momentum's chef and founder Chad Houser heard one of the local school districts in the Dallas area might not be reopening after spring break due to COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019). Knowing many of these students rely on schools for daily basic nutrition needs, Houser had a lightbulb moment. As shelter-in-place orders swept the nation, Houser shut down his restaurant (which also serves as a culinary training facility for at-risk youth) and immediately turned it into what he calls a "food hub." Officially called Momentum E.A.T.s (Engage, Activate, Transform), the restaurant workers now spend their hours making meal kits for food-insecure students and their families across the Dallas community.
Courtesy of Chad Windham Photography An employee at Café Momentum puts bags of rice into meal kits for food-insecure students and their families living in the Dallas area.
For Houser, this transformation was a win-win situation for the top-rated dining spot. On the one hand, he says, the meal kit work continues to provide income to the young men and women in the program and valuable "hours of influence," or proximity time to work with the staff directly. Another incredible benefit of the program: It fulfills a community need that's always been there but can be especially challenging due to COVID-19. In the 12 weeks since the program started, the staff has made more than 250,000 meal kits, which Houser says is a "testament to how amazing these kids are."
These kids that have essentially been deemed 'throw-away' by the juvenile justice system are stepping up and filling one of the greatest needs in our community right now.
—Chad Houser, chef and founder of Café Momentum
In order to maintain proper food safety and social distancing standards, Houser says the staff is divided into two teams that work either a morning shift or afternoon shift to pack boxes. All the food included is shelf-stable, so no refrigeration is needed. Fresh produce such as bananas, onions, and potatoes are packed up with canned and dry goods. Approximately 1,600 boxes (aka meal kits) go out per week to families. Each box contains enough food to make 16 meals.
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More than 750 youth have worked with Houser since Café Momentum opened. The young adults wouldn't be able to continue their 12-month paid internship program if not for the meal kit initiative during these unprecedented times. You can listen to Houser's full story and what inspired him to start the program in his Ted Talk, but he basically came to the realization that opportunities for at-risk teens were very different compared to his own at the same age. Be it the color of your skin, socioeconomic status, or the town you're from, he says, we don't have control over these parts of ourselves that impact the trajectory of our lives.
Courtesy of Chad Windham Photography Messages of support to the community impacted by COVID-19 are written on boxes before delivery.
Until Café Momentum's young men and women on staff can get back to serving its delicious menu items (think seared duck breast and sweet tea-brined pork chops), the top-rated restaurant plans to continue as Momentum E.A.T.s. "We believe this to be the best path for our interns, staff, and community at the moment," states a message to on the restaurant's website.
If you'd like to help these at-risk teen employees while the restaurant remains closed and/or provide valuable ingredients for those in need at this time, head to the Momentum E.A.T.s website to make a donation. As a bonus, their partnership with the Stand Together Foundation pledged to match all online donations dollar for dollar, up to $1,000 per donation.
