For many, the Thanksgiving holiday means cozy traditions and a table full of food. However, for countless others, the season is a stark reminder of needs that go unmet.
This year, high schoolers from eight districts coast-to-coast dedicated their time and skills to help meet those needs in their communities. As part of a nationwide Students Serve It Forward initiative, these young people channeled their energy and expertise into one mission: ensuring their communities had access to a full, home-cooked Thanksgiving meal. In partnership with Intuit for Education who funded the meals, students selected organizations in their communities to support.
“Food is a right, and everyone should be able to have access to that no matter what,” said Braeden, a Reed High School senior. “We’ve cooked turkeys, mashed potatoes, gravy, lots of things to serve today, so I’m super excited.”
Student entrepreneurship in action: Hands-on skills that empower students to serve their communities
This holiday community effort was catalyzed by the Intuit Food Truck Program, a free work-based learning program from Intuit for Education that provides high school students with fully equipped food trucks and mobile food carts to help build their entrepreneurial skills. It’s all part of Intuit’s mission to help 50 million students become financially literate, capable, and confident by 2030.
Hands-on learning experiences. Real-world tools. Entrepreneurial finance curriculum. Through the program, students gain practical skills that can truly help them on the road to creating their own business.
Intuit believes that helping the next generation build business skills also means showing them the value of using those skills to give back. Because entrepreneurship isn’t just about making money — it’s about leading the way to a better path forward.
Ryan Sexton, Chief Program Officer with Eddy House in Reno, highlighted the significance: “The holidays can be tough… they’re particularly challenging for those who don’t have the thing we so often take for granted. Access to food and to a home-cooked meal, those things make all the difference in the world.”
Making an impact for communities across the country with Intuit for Education
As part of their community impact project, students transformed their entrepreneurial learning into meaningful experiences—preparing and serving Thanksgiving meals to approximately 2,500 community members in need.
Because every community has different needs, each school focused its efforts where it mattered most. Some served unhoused teens. Others supported local missions. Several provided meals directly to food-insecure families within their own districts.
Here’s a breakdown of students giving back across the country:
- Compton Unified School District’s Hub City food truck served 100 community members in partnership with the LACOE community Schools Initiative.
- Dallas Independent School District’s Curbside Delights food truck served 300 community members in partnership with the Dallas ISD Resource Center South.
- Denver Public Schools’ Front Range Flavor food truck served 285 community members in partnership with the Vista Academy CEED Initiative.
- Los Angeles Unified School District, Polytechnic High School’s Poly Prime food truck served 500 community members in partnership with the LAUSD Community Schools Initiative.
- Lynchburg City Schools’ Lunchburg Express food truck served 100 community members in partnership with Parkview Community Mission.
- Metro Nashville Public Schools’ Raider Bites food truck served 350 community members in partnership with Nashville Launch Pad in addition to serving MNPS families in need.
- San Diego Unified School District’s Sunset Bites food truck served 175 community members in partnership with the Ronald McDonald House.
- Washoe County Public School District’s Global Street Foods truck served 200 community members in partnership with Eddy House.
What unites all these efforts is the same student-driven spirit: using their skills and leadership to uplift their communities during a time of year when support matters most.
“My students were super excited about the opportunity to help out others. And not only did they want to give back, they were concerned with the quality of what we gave. They wanted to make sure that they gave healthy food,” said Chef Vickie Johnson, lead instructor at Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas.
The Intuit Food Truck Program not only teaches students essential entrepreneurial and financial skills, but also prepares them for real-world leadership experiences. This Students Serve It Forward initiative has allowed students to transform hands-on learning into tangible impact, allowing them to directly address critical needs right within their own communities. Illustrating that entrepreneurship is a powerful path to not just personal success, but community betterment. See how Intuit for Education helps students build the skills and confidence to elevate their careers — and their communities.