KENT COUNTY, Michigan. — A Newaygo-based food truck has something special on the menu: Sober Eats serves up awareness of recovery and overcoming addiction, along with a slate of tasty, fresh, homemade items.
"We actually wanted the food truck to be called 'sober-rito' and we were just gonna sell burritos all over the place," owner Kevin McLaughlin joked. "We said Sober Eats is kind of like Uber Eats, and we bring it to you. We bring recovery to you."
McLaughlin, who's worked in Behavioral Health and Peer Recovery, is 22 years sober.
"I think the hardest part initially was just removing the shame and the guilt," he explained. "I mean, I wasn't the kind of person you would know had a problem."
In 2021, he decided to pivot during the pandemic, launching his food truck business.
"This deck folds down. I sit out there and I cook, and people ask me questions... just talk about it, meet people," he told FOX 17 News. "I have a culinary art degree I did before I quit drinking, so that complemented what we do here."
Sober Eats quickly gained popularity and customers.
"People honk, drive by, yell out the window," he said. "In our first year we had booked 75 events... [Companies] saw the mission, and so they called us, put us at the top of the list, and therefore we got opportunities that maybe you'd have to work a little harder for."
McLaughlin said the truck encourages people to speak openly about sobriety and addiction.
He plans to continue to take his message around Michigan, offering up food for the body and hope for the soul.
"Big picture, we want to help as many people as we can," he said. "Sharing helps make sense of all of our suffering... that's where living with purpose comes in to be so important. I wake up every day knowing yesterday I did something good."
September is National Recovery Month, a time to raise awareness and promote recovery efforts.
You can find Sober Eats at the following locations in October:
Newaygo home football game 10/10
Sparta High School band invitational 10/11
Grant Christian School harvest event 10/18
Grant soccer games 10/25.
Be sure to check out the Sober Eats Facebook page to see where the truck is headed next.
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