CityView Magazine

CityViewNC.com | 17 M ost mornings, Kim Molnar greets the dawn from the back of a food truck. "I start early, because everything we serve is fresh for every event," she said as she rattled off a list of daily tasks that fuse to create 15-hour workdays. Every second is worth it to her, because the Cooking with the Crew food truck offers more than the grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches taking Fayetteville by storm. Miller's Crew serves opportunities. Every aspect of the mission of Miller's Crew nonprofit, from day camps to the carefully curated menu of the food truck, has been designed by Molnar, a licensed speech pathologist, to help young adults with developmental disabilities learn meaningful job skills and contribute to the community. To hear her passionately chart the goals and program implementation of Miller's Crew is to hear a symphony of hope for local families of children with special needs. "My husband and I have a son with special needs, but that wasn't even the main reason we started Miller's Crew," Molnar said. "We saw a lack of resources in our community that allowed adolescents and adults to train purposefully and meaningfully in a comfortable setting." In three and a half years, Miller's Crew created or enhanced nine self-sustaining vocational training labs in local high schools and one in Union County. "We set them up, and any profit they make is funneled back into their Exceptional Children's department," Molnar beamed. While they continue to outfit high school labs, she has always known that Miller's Crew must also address the marked decrease in special needs resources aer high school graduation. A notion that began with grant writing and community contributions came OPPORTUNITY AND HOPE ARE ON THE MILLER'S CREW MENU BY COURTNEY PHILLIPS PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAUL RUBIERA JR. FA SCI NAT I NG FAYETT EVILLE to fruition in June – the Cooking with the Crew food truck. From the stove to the Square system that customers use to pay, every part of the truck is designed to teach a skill. "As a mom of a special needs son and as a speech pathologist, I believe anyone can learn as long as they are trained appropriately. In my therapy mind, it's not a food truck. It's a mobile training lab." Since retiring from the school system in July to hit the road full-time with her son, Miller, and the crew, Molnar has drawn energy from the many families seeking help. Kim Molnar and her son Miller Every aspect of the mission of Miller's Crew nonprofit, from day camps to the carefully curated menu of the food truck, has been designed by Kim Molnar to help young adults with developmental disabilities learn meaningful job skills and contribute to the community.

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