In 2014, Michelle Carrera started a noble project called Chilis on Wheels after she was unable to find a soup kitchen that served a vegan Thanksgiving dinner. Stewing up her own chili, she then ventured out serving it up directly with the community. After receiving positive feedback, Carrera knew there was a demand for this type of program, and Chilis on Wheels has grown greatly since then.

In just four years, Chilis on Wheels has served over 38,000 meals in its ten chapters, and it’s not just chili anymore. In addition to these meal shares, they have implemented community workshops to teach people and groups from all walks of life the values of being vegan. They turn no one away and even provide cruelty-free toiletries, clothing, and other essentials. They also have a “microsanctuary,” a youth engagement program, and special events like movie nights and holiday celebrations. And now they have implemented yet another great idea — a mentorship program.

The LIVE (Low-Income Vegan Education) Mentorship Program will involve 21 days of informative emails, a complete cost-effective meal plan, as well as a mentor of a similar background. The organization says this is the first program of its kind to “take our cultural and socioeconomic differences into consideration” when it comes to transitioning into a vegan lifestyle.

They state on their website: “Chilis on Wheels believes that an empowered community is key in dismantling systematic inequalities that prevent veganism from being attainable by poor and low-income communities. Through our networks of Support, we’re collectively building alternate systems to make veganism accessible to the areas that we serve.”

What a noble cause! Thank you, Chilis on Wheels for helping bring plant-based living to more people and spreading the notion of compassion for all living things.

Interested in joining the program or becoming a mentor? Then visit the Chilis on Wheels website here.

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