Building confidence through food literacy education

Our Impact

Over the last decade, The Charlie Cart Project has reached over 500,000 children and families through our 500 community partners across the country.

By The Numbers

500,000

Children and Families Reached Annually

1,400+

Educators Trained

500+

Community Partners Across 47 States

Beyond the Numbers

The Charlie Cart Project opens minds, builds confidence, and changes attitudes toward healthy food.
Food Advocacy
People are blown away that I’ll get these kids to eat beets. [At first] the kids really freak out because beets are so ugly on the outside, but then I show them when you cut it, it’s just beautiful on the inside. Then, they try something with beets, like a rainbow smoothie, and they’re like, “oh, that’s bussin and bussin!”
If it’s one “bussin,” it’s good, if it’s two, it’s really good.
Building confidence through food literacy education
One of my favorite stories is a young teen who hated guacamole, so I worked with her. We talked about what was in it. I had her make it “hands on.” By the end she was a huge fan, and she ran out with what she made to her mom shouting.
“You’ve got to taste this, we gotta make this at home.”
Building confidence through food literacy education
I notice that the more consistently I get to a school, cooking becomes familiar, and the kids feel more confident to try new things. This extends way beyond the kitchen.
Gaining confidence in the kitchen teaches them they can do new and hard things out in the rest of the world.

Stories From the Field

Kids Are Hungry. Carolyn Federman Is Teaching Them to Cook.

February 4, 2026 – Kids are hungry in America. And most of them are never taught how to cook. In this episode of Unplated, Antonio sits down with Carolyn Federman, founder of the Charlie Cart Project, a nonprofit bringing hands-on food education into public schools, libraries, and community spaces through fully equipped mobile teaching kitchens.

Cooking Up Confidence: Charlie Cart Comes to Kern County

February 2026 – Jessica Yanez, known on Instagram and TikTok as The Bakersfield Mom, loves cooking at home with her three-year-old son. That’s why it was especially meaningful for them to share their passion with others by preparing a healthy meal at Beale Memorial Library through the Charlie Cart program. Part of a national food […]

A tiny kitchen on wheels: Charlie Cart designed to teach kids about the value of food, healthy eating

January 22, 2026 – Sparking kids’ interest in healthy eating, in learning about food, how to prepare it, and becoming food literate may be getting easier. Take the Charlie Cart, for example, a fully-stocked mobile kitchen on wheels that made its debut Wednesday morning at the Beale Memorial Library in downtown Bakersfield, thanks to a […]

WellFed Community rolls out a brand new mobile kitchen to nourish Tampa Bay

December 4, 2025 – The WellFed Community, a nonprofit best known for treating food as a bridge rather than an obligation, will officially launch its fully permitted Mobile Community Kitchen. Picture a bright green culinary classroom that can drive itself into a neighborhood and immediately start teaching people how to cook, eat well, and build […]