Mobile Loaves & Fishes started an initiative for SXSW, which put homeless people to work selling ice cream to attendees. It’s called Street Treats, and the vendors, reportedly, get to keep all of the revenue.
There was a brief mention of it on a local Austin news program:
Here’s how the Street Treats site describes the project:
Street Treats is a chance for homeless and formerly homeless individuals to earn legal, dignified living on the streets of Austin.
When you buy a treat for yourself, you’re also making it possible for someone else to pull themselves up off the streets.
Founded as a part of Mobile Loaves & Fishes ReWork Project, our ice cream vendors offer delicious, wholesome Blue Bell ice cream treats for $1.00 a piece.
Doing good never tasted so sweet!
Here’s what they’ve actually been selling:
Chooclate Fudge Bar
Strawberry Fruit Bar
Rainbow Freeze
Ice Cream Sandwich
Vanilla Country Cone (topped with chocolate and nuts)
They also gave out free t-shirts to their first 100 customers.
They’re supposed to be tweeting out vendor locations throughout SXSW, but interestingly, when I try to go to the official Twitter account for the initiative, it’s telling me the account is suspended.
According to the announcement for the project, they sold until midnight on Friday. It’s unclear if it will continue throughout the event.