Mobile Loaves & Fishes

Mobile Loaves & Fishes (MLFY) is a social service organization that has been changing communities into a lifestyle of service with the homeless. Founded in 1998 in Austin, Texas, the organization provides services through three main programs.

Truck Ministry

Mobile Loaves & Fishes' food truck volunteers hit the streets 7 nights a week, 365 days a year to serve the homeless, delivering food, clothing, hygiene products and other life items. With the support of more than 19, 000 volunteers and over 5 million meals served, Mobile Loaves & Fishes is the largest prepared feeding program to the homeless and working poor in Austin, Texas.

Community First Village

Community First Village is a 51-acre master planned community that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for the disabled and homeless in Central Texas. Since 2005, this transformative residential program has been a part of Mobile Loaves & Fishes and has become the largest community-based model in the country lifting homeless men and women up off the streets into community and home.

Community Works

Mobile Loaves & Fishes developed the Community Works program at Community First Village. It provides job opportunities for the residents who are coming out of homelessness to earn an income. In addition, the program requests Mobile Loaves & Fishes volunteers to serve alongside and build enduring relationships with our friends as they develop new skills.

Opportunities for more volunteers

Thank you for your interest in Mobile Loaves & Fishes! We have a variety of volunteer opportunities. Please read the service requirements carefully before your application to fulfill service hours with MLF.

The following charities advocate protecting our precious environment. It’s a starting place, but don’t stop here.

Rocky Mountain Institute

Rocky Mountain Institute has made notable achievements in its comparatively short history. In2017, it worked with India’s leadership and government to plan for 100% vehicle electrification(电气化) by 2030. They also provided research that resulted in new U. S. fuel-efficiency standards for trucks, which were expected to cut over one billion tons of CO₂ emissions. Its five-year plan to quicken low-carbon energy transition (转变) was published in early 2018.

Greenpeace Fund

Although Greenpeace solves many environmental problems such as deforestation (滥伐森林) and sustainable food, it has worked to address issues with oceans for decades: plastic pollution, offshore drilling, saving the Arctic, and more. Greenpeace has grown from a small group of activists protesting nuclear testing in 1971 to an international organization with offices in over fifty countries.

Center for Biological Diversity

Founded in 1989, the Center for Biological Diversity uses biological data and legal knowledge to obtain new protections for plants, animals, and their habitats. Its story began with some young students, an ancient tree in Mexico, and a spotted owl’s nest. Its first campaign saved both the tree and the owl. And they continue to grow by expanding territory, staff, and outreach (外展服务).

Sierra Club Foundation

The Sierra Club has been working to protect the environment and its people since 1892. It helped pass the Clean Air and Endangered Species Acts, enabled the creation of many national parks, and worked to move hundreds of coal plants towards clean energy. It also offers environmentally friendly wilderness outings to encourage people to get outdoors. People can take an international trip to study wildlife in Cuba.

When did you have a really deep conversation where you felt truly heard? These types of connections are essential for people but they are not always easy to find. That’s why one woman decided to take listening to the streets. Her name is Traci Ruble, a psychotherapist (精神治疗医师) who is concerned that people today are experiencing loneliness and lack personal connections. She understands that with busy lives and demanding jobs, people are unable to make these connections.

On a spring day in 2015, Ruble and a handful of volunteers set up chairs on sidewalks in 12 locations around San Francisco and invited people passing by to sit for a few minutes and chat. This was the beginning of the nonprofit Sidewalk Talk. The mission is to create public spaces of connections where the people are. Today, the organization has more than 4,000 volunteers in 40 cities. These volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds and receive training from the organization.

Sidewalk Talk gives people a chance to speak and be listened to but it is not therapy. “Volunteers are not interacting as a therapist out there. They’re not there to solve someone’s problems. They’re there to practice being human.” Ruble said. “Therapy is only one-sided and therapists are taught to avoid self-disclosure. However by being human, volunteers can approach interactions about their own life and show sympathy with the people they’re talking with.”

Today, the increasing number of people experience loneliness, especially due to the COVID-19 lockdowns. In fact, 31 percent of all Americans feel serious loneliness including 61 percent of young adults. To deal with that, restoring community relationships is vitally important. While Sidewalk Talk will not solve the loneliness crisis, these chats could help someone have a brighter day. Knowing that there are sympathetic people who are willing to fully listen and share your feelings, could make all the difference to a lonely person.