We have all heard the adage: “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime.” No better example of its application can be found than the Good Samwich Food Truck, underwritten by a $150,000 grant from the Women’s Fund to Good Samaritan Shelter.
The Good Samwich Food Truck debuted on March 10 at the Santa Barbara Mission with a ribbon cutting, multiple speeches, and a blessing from Franciscan Friar Larry Gosselin. Nick Welsh of The Independent followed up the next day with a laudatory article describing the event, the plans for the truck by its parent organization, Good Samaritan Shelter, and the work of the Women’s Fund.
Welch’s article credited what Father Larry called “the creative compassion” of the Santa Barbara community in making the food truck a reality. In his comments, Welch also said the Women’s Fund “has a long history of punching way beyond its weight with strategically targeted, small-ball philanthropy.”
Good Samaritan Shelter is the largest homeless service provider on the Central Coast. Established in 1987, their facilities now serve more than 4,000 people in more than 40 locations. With 800 beds for emergency and transitional housing, Good Samaritan programs include wraparound services, mental health support, substance abuse disorder treatment, and housing navigation. The food truck grew out of the 2024 Food for Good program, which the founder and leader of Good Samaritan, Sylvia Barnard, describes as a “bold new initiative built around the idea that access to healthy food and meaningful work can truly change lives.”
In her speech at the launch, Board Chair Carolyn Jabs expressed pride in the initiative, stating, “It's a real privilege to represent the Women’s Fund at the launch of the Good Samwich Food Truck,” highlighting the significance of collective giving in making such impactful grants possible. She continued, “...our members look for transformative projects that meet critical needs for vulnerable people in south Santa Barbara County.” As Welch described it, the organization is “famous for the leave-no-stone-unturned thoroughness of its vetting process” and ability to “smell the difference between do-gooders with good intentions and those who can get things done.”
The food truck leverages the new Food4Good commercial kitchen.
The food truck leverages other Good Samaritan efforts to address homelessness, including its community farm in Lompoc, and its new commercial kitchen and culinary training program at Hedges House of Hope shelter in Isla Vista. Barnard believes that the Food for Good program provides “more than a training program – it’s a path to stability, purpose, and independence.”
The 18-foot Good Samwich Food Truck includes an electrically powered industrial scale kitchen with fryer, griddle, salad/sandwich table, refrigerator, and stove. The organization anticipates that food sales will generate the revenue needed to cover gas, insurance, maintenance, supplies, and professional staff assistance. In its first year, the agency expects that the Food Truck will generate $250,000 in gross receipts, with anticipated net revenue to Good Samaritan of $25,000.
Under the direction of Executive Chef Don Hardin, who has years of catering experience, trainees and graduates prepare soups, salads, and “good samwiches.” On the day of its “christening” at the Mission, the menu included turkey sandwiches with cranberry mayonnaise, tropical coleslaw, and quinoa arugula salad.
Thirty-five homeless culinary trainees will work with 20 program graduates to prepare and serve what are expected to be upwards of 14,000 meals annually from the Good Samwich Food Truck. Currently, the food truck will be serving its healthy lunch-time meals near a county government building on Calle Real, chosen strategically because there are few places to eat near there.
Graduates who work at the food truck earn income and benefits, get on-the-job training, and develop their resumes and occupational references, all of which can be used to secure employment. A record of income also allows participants to qualify for subsidized housing in the County.
In her May 2025 Celebration of Grants comments, Barnard called the Good Samwich Food Truck “more than a vehicle. It’s a vehicle for change,” and expressed gratitude to the Women’s Fund with these moving words: “Thank you for believing in the power of second chances, for standing with us in the fight against homelessness, and for helping us make food a force for good.”