A former addictions worker who turned a one-truck moving company into a regional business force gave something big back to the street community on Thursday.
Scott Burley, founder of 2 Burley Men moving company, invited several of the city’s popular food trucks to Our Place to serve meals to more than 1,200 less-fortunate. And he picked up the tab for all of it.
Burley has a big soft spot for Our Place, where he was an addictions worker for two years. He said the idea was to give some of the most vulnerable people in the city a taste of what the rest of Victoria often takes for granted.
“We have all these food trucks around the city and [the homeless, working poor] get to walk by them and very few of them get to eat there,” said Burley. “We just wanted to step it up a notch and do something different and special for them.”
The Pandora Avenue courtyard at Our Place, the inner-city centre serving the city’s homeless and disenfranchised, took on a new look as it was transformed into a warren of gourmet food trucks and food counters offering a very different experience.
“We picked the [vendors] we felt would treat Our Place clientele with respect, plus it’s good food,” said Burley, who has in the past put on a barbecue for the clients.
The food offerings Thursday included burritos from Taco Justice, pulled- pork sandwiches from Judy’s Snack Shack and giant slices of pizza from Ali Baba Pizza.
For dessert there were gourmet ice-cream sandwiches from Cold Comfort, and Judy’s Snack Shack brought snow cones and cotton candy.
There were smiles all around, plenty of laughter and a deep appreciation for the gesture.
“What a great meal. [Pulled pork] is something I never had before. Heard about it a lot ... you see the signs and stuff, but never had it. Man, that was good,” said one Our Place “family member.”
“People like Mr. Burley, they care ... they know what it’s like out here,” said another with a big slice of pizza.
The food truck festival provided a distraction for often stressful days for people living rough.
“Whenever we do something a little different it lifts the spirits of everyone who comes,” said Grant McKenzie, director of communications at Our Place. “Sometimes just getting away from the problems of the streets for a break and have that bit of normalcy is important.
“And what Scott wants to do is give these people the same kind of experience they would get as a paying customer. He wants them to be treated with kindness and respect and brings them a bit of dignity here.”
Burley knows the money spent on the event would have gone a lot further in the Our Place kitchens, where they serve more than 1,200 meals a day. But as someone who has “worked in the field,” he said it’s sometimes important to give them something special and unusual instead.
And Burley said he will continue to do things like this to give back to the community where his business has thrived.
“The great companies I’ve seen like Thrifty Foods are all about the community. I’m trying to be a company that doesn’t just take, but gives some of that money back,” he said.
And Burley’s business has been booming.
He started 2 Burley Men moving company six years ago with one truck. The name is a reflection of he and his young son, Joshua, who was nine when he started. Now Burley owns 30 trucks, and at the end of this month will have 35 on the road and 75 people working.
“It’s gone better than I ever thought,” Burley said, noting he’s building something for his son who, at 15 this year, will spend his first summer on the job with the company that bears his name.
“Scott is an inspiration to so many people, and to witness the joy and energy as he gives back to the less fortunate of Greater Victoria is incredible,” said Don Evans, executive director of Our Place. “We are grateful for the number of local businesses that are stepping up to help us address poverty in our city.”
