Hi, Bombs Squad. Welcome to Food for Thought, a radio Cherry Bomb miniseries.

I'm Carrie Diamond, editor-in-chief of Cherry Bomb magazine.

We wanted to know what's on your mind, so we hit the road and went on tour to eat, drink, and talk with lots of you all across the country. Today's stop is Columbus, Ohio.

We recorded this episode at the headquarters of Jenny's Splendid Ice Creams, where we heard from

seven women who are changing the local food scene. Thank you to Kerry Gold for supporting our

Food for Thought tour. Carrey Gold is the Irish brand known for its award-winning butter and cheese,

made with milk from grass-fed cows from family farms all over Ireland.

We'll be hearing more about their amazing products later, so stay tuned.

First up, let's listen to a short talk from Paula Haynes,

the executive director of Freedom Al-A-Cart, a food business with a very important mission.

Thank you.

Thank you. So excited to be here.

So people ask me, why food? Why did we choose food service business for our social enterprise? Well,

the truth is, our founders, Julian Kay, simply wanted to start a social enterprise as a tool to

provide jobs for survivors of sex trafficking who have severe barriers to employment. In their

search for the right business model, the two

discovered their shared passion for food and collective experience in the

industry. So they took the plunge. They bought a food cart on eBay for $1,200,

launched Freedom Alacart, and started hiring survivors. Today, Freedom Alacart

is about so much more than just a job. We're helping

women rebuild their lives. There are many practical reasons that the food industry makes sense

for workforce training. The beautiful surprise is the kitchen also has proven to be an ideal

...