Steph and Ayesha Curry Convert a Bus to Help Kids in Oakland
"It May Show Up Anywhere": Take a Peek at Steph and Ayesha Curry's Mystical Bus For Kids
Ms. Frizzle and the Magic School Bus crew might want to take notes from Steph and Ayesha Curry before their next field trip. On Sept. 8, the couple unveiled the renovated Eat. Learn. Play bus, a moving library, food truck, basketball court, and entertainment centre for kids all in one. Created as an extension of their Eat. Learn. Play organisation — dedicated to educating, feeding, and providing a safe space for children since June 2020 — the Oakland, CA-based bus can host up to 35 children at a time and features three flat-screen TVs and an impressive sound system.
"This idea came basically from me wanting to find a way to eradicate food deserts within the Oakland area," Ayesha told Today, with Steph adding that the city has become like their adopted home. "At first, the idea was around, 'How can we find locations where people can come and pick up fresh produce and other things for their families?' Logistically, especially with COVID, that idea started to seem far-fetched." But, in partnership with Cruising Kitchens, a food truck builder, the multi-purpose bus was born.
"If we can all join together and try to fix the issue together and turn these numbers around, then I think we're doing something right."
Another driving force behind the creation of the bus were the discourageing statistics reading levels among Black and Latino students in the Oakland Unified School District, many of who are far below their expected grade level. "That, to me, is unacceptable," the mother of three said. "It's not the teacher's fault. It's not the parents' fault. It's a community issue. Let's get together, give this model a try and see if we can create some excitement around reading. If we can all join together and try to fix the issue together and turn these numbers around, then I think we're doing something right."
Created with the intention of helping children all throughout the community, the bus won't have a fixed location. "It may show up anywhere, take on a life of its own and has the capabilities to host an event anywhere," Steph said. "Hopefully, what we are doing is an amazing case study of the power of a cohesive team of talented people that have hearts of gold that can do amazing things . . . Also, we're going to be listening to the community to figure out where the best and greatest impact will be with the bus. But we cannot be more excited about it and how it will be received — and what impact it will have."
Take a sneak peek at the different sections of the Eat. Learn. Play bus ahead.
Eat. Learn. Play Bus Library
Eat. Learn. Play Bus Basketball Hoop
Eat. Learn. Play Bus Fruit Bar
Eat. Learn. Play Bus Food Truck Section
Eat. Learn. Play Bus Art
