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Photos courtesy of the Clarks.
John Evans, left, and Oliver Clark make food for customers of the Who’s Hungry Food Truck.
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Photos courtesy of the Clarks.
From left, Ivey Patton, Easton Spotswood and Oliver Clark serve customers out of the truck.
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Photos courtesy of the Clarks.
A customer holding a bowl of chili and a grilled cheese from the Who’s Hungry Food Truck.
On any given weekend in Birmingham’s Lynn Park, father-and-son duo Will and Oliver Clark can be found cooking meals out of their food truck to feed those in need.
“We love making connections with others and treating people like people,” said Will Clark of Mountain Brook. “In our family, we love food. We have always loved cooking and feeding others. Having people over to eat the food we prepare has always been something we really enjoy in our family. With the food truck, we are able to cook for others and always have a spot at the table for someone who wants it.”
The idea to feed others originated years ago when Will and Oliver would load up their car on Saturday mornings with hot biscuits or warm cheeseburgers from Jack’s Restaurant and drive around downtown Birmingham looking for those who could use a free meal.
“We would just drive around under the overpasses and streets of downtown Birmingham and see someone walking on the sidewalk carrying all of their possessions in a backpack and yell out, ‘Hey man, you want a warm cheeseburger?’” said Oliver Clark, 17, who attends MBHS.
“We were dropping off biscuits one morning and we had grabbed some jelly packets and hot sauce from the restaurant to hand out with the biscuits. We were handing out the biscuits and this guy came up and we asked him what kind of jelly he wanted. It really shocked him that he had the choice of what jelly, and we were giving him the option to choose. My dad and I then started talking about how cool it would be to be able to have a food truck where you could cook food for those in need and allow them the opportunity to choose what they wanted to order.”
The two began discussing ways they could put their plan into action, and the concept evolved when the Clarks located a food truck owned by Canterbury United Methodist Church.
“We had a food truck that we were not using at the time that we had been using for various things since we first received it,” said Canterbury’s Director of Outreach, Rachel Estes. “To be honest, I had basically written to the Board of Canterbury in October saying we had tried to find a use for it and had given our best efforts for four years, but the truck had been used maybe 15 times. I then got an email from Amanda Story who told me that Will Clark had a vision for feeding people and he and his son were wanting to use it, if possible. It really could not have been more perfect timing because I had just written the board and here we found this family who was looking for something to be able to use.”
Estes said Canterbury loved the vision the Clarks had for feeding those in Birmingham, helping to further the mission of the church which uses the scripture reference Matthew 25 — “for I was hungry, and you fed me” — as a central focus to their food ministry.
“We are just thrilled that Will and Oliver share this vision and help those in our city who have a need,” Estes said.
Plans into motion
Once Will and Oliver secured the food truck, they were able to put their plans into motion and watch their idea come to life.
Who’s Hungry Food Truck was born in December 2024, using the acronym of Will’s three sons, William, Harry and Oliver, to complete the name.
The first meal prepped and served was cheeseburgers and hot dogs, allowing those living near Lynn Park and the surrounding areas to have the option of whatever they wanted — including a homemade sauce for the hot dogs that Will created — free of charge.
“We asked everyone to be patient with us because it was our first time doing something like that, but we had a lot of fun,” Oliver Clark said. “The first time was really just us finding our groove, but also getting to know everyone.”
Will and Oliver and several of Oliver’s high school friends spent many hours the first time shopping, prepping, cooking and serving the food.
“I think it has given me a huge respect for those who work in the food industry and those that work a food truck regularly,” Oliver Clark said. “It is a lot of work.”
Will Clark said it was enjoyable for him to watch his son put in so much effort for those they served that day.
“When you are taking people’s orders and putting the food together, you are becoming a short-order cook,” Will Clark said. “It was great being able to watch everyone come together and make it happen.”
Ideas for things to serve from the truck grew as customers partaking of the burgers and hot dogs offered a suggestion to the Clarks for Philly cheesesteaks in honor of the Super Bowl.
“We followed that idea and it was a huge hit,” Oliver Clark said. “Everyone really enjoyed that week. We then had a man come up to us the week we served the Philly cheesesteaks and say he would love to have some meatloaf one day.”
The Clarks decided to serve meatloaf from the truck, using Oliver’s grandmother’s recipe — a family favorite — and a soon-to-be-crowd favorite from the food truck customers.
“The week we served the meatloaf was a big hit,” Oliver said. “Everyone loved that.”
Some highlights of serving the food so far for Oliver have been spending time with his dad, friends from high school, and meeting the customers who visit the food truck each time.
“I think one thing that I have really appreciated is getting to meet those coming up and ordering and talking to them about things they like,” Oliver said. “I think conversations about sports teams or food are things that people love to talk about, and when you start talking to people, you learn that we are all more alike than we may realize.”
Will Clark said they want the concept to remain simple — feeding people and using the food as an avenue to get to know those around them.
“We are not really a ministry,” Will Clark said. “We like to say we are just guys who love to cook and eat with people they like. This is more an opportunity for us to spend about two and a half hours of our time to go hang out and let people eat food from the food truck. We are learning more about the people we are cooking for, and they are getting to know us, and we enjoy sitting down and having a meal together.”
The Clarks have plans once they secure a frying apparatus to possibly begin offering fries and fried chicken, two highly requested items from their customers.
“I think once we are able to get a fryer we will be able to cook French fries, which is probably one of the most requested things we have right now,” Oliver said. “We are still brainstorming other meals we can offer and look forward to being able to offer some other things in the coming months.”
All hands on deck
While Will and Oliver spend the majority of the time at the food truck cooking and serving the food, Oliver’s mom helps distribute food and occasionally passes out leftovers to those in the community who are unable to make it to the food truck.
One of Oliver’s brothers, Harry, helps out with social media, using Instagram to let people know when they will be out serving the food.
Oliver said word has also spread with his friends who are often eager to go help serve on the food truck.
“I think seeing my friends step up in that way has been really neat for me to see,” Oliver said. “Just watching them really enjoy the aspect of service, and using their time to get to know people has been something I have really enjoyed. My friends all say they love doing it.”
Oliver credits his dad for helping him learn the value of service at an early age.
“My dad has always been really great about showing me ways to serve those around me,” Oliver said. “Having this opportunity with my dad has been a special moment. We are getting to do something we both love which is serving and we are bonding together while doing it. I will cherish these moments for a lifetime.”
For more information about Who’s Hungry Food Truck, visit their Instagram page @whos_foodtruck.
