There's heart behind the wheel of Northwest Indiana's newest food truck.
Fresh Start Enterprises, which debuted on April 26, is more than just a meal service — it's a second-chance employment initiative helping individuals with criminal records rebuild their lives.
Led by Sam Burgett and the Community Change Center, the initiative employs people reentering society, offering job training and income in a supportive environment.
Burgett, a police social worker at the Porter County Sheriff's Office, developed the idea from firsthand experience.
"Back in 2019, I was working as a detention officer running a reentry program. I saw a need for comprehensive services that started on the inside," Burgett said.
That vision evolved into Fresh Start Enterprises. The food truck serves as the Center's latest effort to provide transitional support.
"We thought we should start an in-house employment program," Burgett said. "If reentering individuals don't have a job connection for someone within a week, they often go back to whatever they were doing before."
The truck was funded through Porter County opioid settlement dollars and a matching grant from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority. A crowdfunding campaign raised additional funds for the project.
Modeled after Los Angeles' Homeboy Industries, Fresh Start incorporates training through its Set for Success workforce readiness curriculum.
"We want to train people and provide supported employment," Burgett said. "Then we can help them enter their desired career path."
Employees will build work experience, with many completing a two-week curriculum before hiring. Those from long-term reentry programs may be placed immediately, while others will come through Set for Success referrals.
The food truck will operate outside local law enforcement agencies and courthouses to help rebuild community trust. It will also be available for events and private bookings.
Burgett is filled with excitement and envisions future growth for the food truck moving forward.
"Whether the next step is more trucks or eventually a diner, we're going where the resources are," she said. "There's been strategy, but also a leap of faith."
Fresh Start will post its schedule on the Community Change Center's website and Facebook page. Local businesses can sponsor the truck as well.
"Success is seeing clients thrive," Burgett said. "If we can reduce stigma and foster second chances, that's what matters."
To learn more about the Fresh Start food truck please visit communitychangecenter.org.
