Meeting Kids + Families Where They Are
Launched on September 8, 2021, The Eat. Learn. Play. Bus is a mobile resource center that embodies the three core pillars of the foundation and brings each component to life in a fun, unique, and engaging way that leaves visitors smiling and inspired. With an innovative and one-of-a-kind design, the bus is providing nutritious meals and groceries, age-appropriate books, and more to Oakland kids and families.
The bus design, production, and creation where brought to life by the innovative team at Cruising Kitchens, a leading custom food truck builder, and mobile business fabricator.
The passenger side of the bus focuses on food distribution and regularly includes everyday grocery staples, quality meals prepared by local restaurants and fresh fruits and vegetables from California farms.
The food on the bus is procured and stocked by our lead partner, the Alameda County Community Food Bank, a nationally recognized food aid and logistics expert. A valued long-time partner, the food bank leads day-to-day logistics, operating the bus on its regular route and at special events.
The driver's side features a free bookstore that holds thousands of age-and-culturally appropriate books for Oakland children. In addition, the bus doubles as an entertainment venue, featuring a basketball hoop, rooftop deck, and a state-of-the-art sound system to help host community events.
The bus' bookstore is curated with the help of the Oakland Literacy Coalition, Literati, Oakland Public Library and other literacy partners. Together, we identify culturally appropriate stories that mirror students' daily lives, encouraging them to explore their identities with curiosity and kindness and others that provide windows to new perspectives and possibilities.
OUR WORK
Along with Alameda County Community Food Bank, we are providing high-quality food, including 500,000 pounds of groceries and fresh produce. We are also working with Community Kitchens, a collective of 50+ Oakland restaurants, to provide 50,000 hot restaurant meals.
We have a commitment and annual literacy goal to distribute 500,000 age-appropriate books. More than 100,000 books will be distributed via the Eat. Learn. Play. Bus.
Finally, the foundation’s ‘PLAY’ values are reflected as the bus also features a basketball hoop and doubles as an entertainment venue complete with a rooftop deck that can hold up to 35 people and a state-of-the-art sound system to assist in hosting community events. Events have included children’s book readings and back-to-school backpack distributions.
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, The Oakland Public Library, Chabot Space & Science Center, Oakland cranes, Oakland Arena, and other elements that evoke the eat, learn and play pillars.