Food & Beverage

Rockland, Maine approves food truck for student job training

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August 29, 2025

The Rockland Planning Board has approved a food truck to teach students job skills. Straight Ahead Ministries Inc. will run the Village Soup food truck in a partnership with the Rockland Police's Department youth mentorship program, according to a report by Midcoast Villager.

The project will operate until mid-October and aims to help youth gain job experience.

"The primary purpose of the 'Village Soup' food truck initiative is to equip Rockland-area youth with foundational customer service and public relations skills, to actively assist youth in forming disciplines around time management and team building, and understanding the basics of responsibility and accountability working under supervision, all to assist them in obtaining employment," Straight Ahead Ministries application to the code enforcement office stated.

With the program, youth will not cook food but instead take orders and give customer pre-packaged or prepared food to customers.

"In summary, the purpose of the Village Soup Food Truck initiative is to assist and motivate youth who face barriers to conventional employment, overcome them while also providing positive engagement with their local community," the application states.