BALTIMORE — One woman's passion for art and her desire to give back to the community led her to create the Live or Exist Mobile Outreach Program.
WATCH: Artist converts ice cream truck into mobile community outreach program
Nai Turner is a painter, a muralist, and also the founder of the Live or Exist Foundation, which she created to help local communities.
"A lot of the stuff I talk about in my art are things that's going on in the Black community, so I felt like I should put some action behind it," Turner said.
She said giving back has always been a passion of hers.
"Whenever I get blessed, I make sure that I at least bless 10 people," Turner said.
Turner said it's something she would like to see more of in cities like Baltimore.
"People are not used to it anymore, and I feel like when I was growing up in the neighborhood, we looked after each other a little bit more than now, so in that aspect, it's a little saddening," Turner said.
In order to have a bigger impact than she had within the last year, she decided to take her giving on the road. She bought an old ice cream truck and has been reinventing it into her mobile outreach hub.
"My concept is to make boxes that actually make sense, maybe like a spaghetti meal for the night versus beans and peanut butter, you know, so I feel like that is important, also giving out resources that can help them past today," Turner said.
She said she wanted to be mobile so she could reach the people and communities that are overlooked, and she plans to help more than just people that are homeless.
"There is a lot going on; there are a lot of people going through it, losing jobs, layoffs, etc., so I just feel like people should think about that keep that in the forefront right now," Turner said.
The feeling of community is what is displayed through her art that covers the truck. She is hoping her message of connecting with others makes people who need a bit of extra help feel comfortable receiving it.
"I don't want people to feel like they are losing their dignity by getting a handout, and ice cream trucks remind me of community, and it makes people happy inside," Turner said.
Turner is putting the final touches on her mobile hub and is planning on launching it at her Turning Pages exhibit on September 20th. After that she will begin going into various communities starting in October.
Click here if you would like to donate to or support the Live or Exist Foundation.
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