We interviewed food truck customers as well as employees, clients, and volunteers at several soup kitchens, and learned that many unhoused people have trouble finding dinners (lunches are easier), and that many people with means are willing to pay a premium for their lunch in order to fund food for people in need.

As part of my fellowship at the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, I researched the use of shared humor to motivate charitable giving. We hung out by the food trucks at Stanford and conducted an experiment to identify the most effective way to increase donations. We found that a little bit of humor went a long way in getting people to donate significantly more (see the winning appeal below).  As a bonus, the study doubled as a fundraiser. 

We then used the funds raised during the experiment ($500+) to purchase equipment and ingredients. We made fresh mint lemonade and international cups o'corn: Indian, Greek, and Mexican. Then we sold half of it in Dolores Park during lunchtime (and solicited more donations using the winning script), and gave away the other half at the 16th Street BART Station at dinnertime.