Stephen and Ayesha Curry Launch The Eat. Learn. Play. Bus, Their Foundation’s State-of-the-art Mobile Resource Center

Powered in partnership with the Alameda County Community Food Bank, the Oakland Foundation’s Fully Customized Bus Will Bring Critical Resources Like Books and Nutritious Meals Directly to Kids and Families Throughout the Community

Eat. Learn. Play., the organization founded by three-time NBA champion and two-time MVP Stephen Curry and entrepreneur, host and two-time The New York Times best-selling author Ayesha Curry, officially announced the launch of their Eat. Learn. Play. Bus, a mobile resource center delivering critical resources to the Oakland community. The Eat. Learn. Play. Bus embodies the three core pillars of the foundation, and brings each component to life in a fun, unique and engaging way that will leave visitors smiling and inspired. With an innovative and one-of-a-kind design, the Bus will provide nutritious meals and groceries, age appropriate books and more to Oakland kids and families. The innovative team at Cruising Kitchens, the leading custom food truck builder, and mobile business fabricator, brought the bus design, production, and creation to life.

“From the very beginning, we set out to ensure that all Oakland kids have access to three vital ingredients to a happy, healthy, and successful childhood: nutritious food, a quality education with an emphasis on early literacy, and the opportunities and safe places to play and be physically active,” said Stephen and Ayesha Curry, co-founders of Eat. Learn. Play. “This innovative Bus is the physical manifestation of our dreams coming to reality. While it’s open to all, we’re really focusing on lower income neighborhoods and populations with high hunger and lower literacy rates.”

Video of the Eat. Learn. Play. Bus launch at East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC) in Oakland

The bus will also host community events and partners will regularly provide additional products and wraparound services to the community while it’s parked such as health screenings and youth sports clinics.The bus is designed to challenge the stigma that kids often associate with receiving free resources, replacing it instead with surprise, delight and fun filled activities.

“Since day one, we have always dreamed about having a mobile resource center that could meet the community where they are, with the resources they need, in a really fun and dignified way,” said Chris Helfrich, President and CEO of Eat. Learn. Play. “And, it goes without saying, that Stephen and Ayesha have always been adamant that Oakland kids and their families deserve the very best. This bus is truly larger than life, and is a part of our ongoing efforts to provide the very best for our community.”

The foundation will work alongside Alameda County Community Food Bank, a nationally recognized expert in food aid and logistics, to lead day-to-day logistics, operating the bus on its regular route and activating at special events. “The Eat. Learn. Play. Bus offers a joyful, welcoming community experience for families, engaging all of us to bring joy, smiles, and meals,” said Suzan Bateson, Outgoing Executive Director of Alameda County Community Food Bank. “We’re grateful to the Currys, Eat. Learn. Play., and the awesome team for their partnership and generosity. We’re honored and proud to be a lead partner in this new venture, which will ensure more families are nourished, enriched, and engaged with the Curry family, and Alameda County Community Food Bank.”

On the passenger side of the bus, individuals will see the foundation’s ‘EAT’ pillar in action where the bus will regularly distribute everyday grocery staples, quality meals prepared by local restaurants and fresh fruits/vegetables sourced from California farms. In its first year, the bus will deliver 50,000 high-quality restaurant meals produced by 25+ Oakland restaurants, with an emphasis on Black, Latino/a, AAPI and women-owned establishments. The bus will also deliver 500,000+ pounds of fresh, locally sourced produce to food insecure families. Kids will be able to help select their own seasonal produce, and learn where their food comes from.

The driver’s side will activate the “LEARN” pillar with a free bookstore that has the ability to hold hundreds of age-and-culturally appropriate books for Oakland children in it’s custom-built, rotating bookshelves. These books will be curated with the help of Literati, The Oakland Literacy Coalition, Oakland Public Library and more.

Finally, the foundation’s ‘PLAY’ values will be reflected as the bus also features a basketball hoop and doubles as an entertainment venue complete with rooftop deck that can hold up to 35 people and a state-of-the-art sound system to assist in hosting community events. Future events will include readings by children’s book authors, back-to-school backpack distributions, youth sports clinics, cooking demonstrations, health services and more.

Eat. Learn. Play. commissioned the Illuminaries, a Bay Area-based collective of professional street art muralists and graphic artists, to create a multi-layered design that is fun, welcoming, playful, and serves as a celebration of Oakland by reflecting the vibrant spirit of the city. The mirrored design on both sides of the bus separates into thirds with eat, learn and play sections. The background color is a gradient of the three core colors of the Eat. Learn. Play. brand. Throughout the design, there are iconic elements reflective of Oakland. For example, the Oakland skyline, Fox Theater, Oakland Fairyland, Oakland Public Library, Oakland Observatory, Oakland cranes, Oakland Area, and other elements that evoke eat, learn and play.