Ayesha and Stephen Curry introduce The Eat. Learn. Play. Bus

Eat. Learn. Play., the organization founded by Atherton residents Ayesha and Stephen Curry announced the launch of their Eat. Learn. Play. Bus, a mobile resource center for the Oakland community.  With an innovative, one-of-a-kind design, the Bus will provide nutritious meals and groceries, age appropriate books and more to Oakland kids and families. Cruising Kitchens, a 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,” the Currys said in a joint statement. “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.”

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.

The foundation will work alongside the 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.

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. The goal is to deliver 50,000 high-quality restaurant meals produced by 25-plus Oakland restaurants, with an emphasis on Black, Latino/a, AAPI and women-owned establishments within the first year. The bus will also deliver 5000,000 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.  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.

Photos courtesy of Eat. Learn. Play.