(Courtesy I Love You Restaurant)
Jaden Smith wanted a meaningful way to ring in his 21st birthday, and he found it in the form of food trucks. The popular actor, entrepreneur, and entertainer used his resources to provide free vegan meals to the homeless in Los Angeles, continuing his dedication towards philanthropy.
On Sunday, Smith took to his Instagram to reveal the I Love You restaurant food truck, which drove alongside Skid Row and handed out free meals to its residents. A vegan himself, Smith wanted his restaurant to feed the homeless with healthy meals.
According to a 2019 report from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, homelessness is up 16 percent over last year across the city.
Smith wrote a message explaining why he chose to celebrate his birthday this way: "The @ILoveYouRestaurant Is A Movement That Is All About Giving People What They Deserve, Healthy, Vegan Food For Free," he wrote in a caption of a video showing people lined up to receive the bags of food. "Today We Launched Our First One Day Food Truck Pop-Up in Downtown LA. Keep A Look Out Because This Is The First Of Many."
View this post on InstagramI Love You.
The Root reported that Smith’s pop-up truck has already handed out over 8,000 meals to Los Angelinos in need.
Several prominent celebrities were quick to praise Smith for his generosity and commitment to helping the people of Los Angeles find their next meal and raise awareness about the crisis.
"This is so dope," Kevin Hart commented. "I love what you are doing man."
SZA commented: "WOW." "ICON ENERGY."
Yara Shahidi commented, "This is incredible."
Generation Z actress and personality Bella Thorne added, "This is amazing."
Taraji P. Henson was also quick to voice her support and praise Smith for his selfless actions: "PROUD OF YOU YOUNG MAN!!!!!"
Smith has also worked tirelessly to bring clean water to the city of Flint, Michigan by collaborating with a local church. Using his JUST goods company, he partnered with the First Trinity Missionary Baptist Church to install “The Water Box, ” a mobile water filtration system that helps reduce lead and other contaminants.
Though well-known for his acting chops and family lineage (as the son of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith), Jaden’s philanthropy efforts are also taking center stage.“I wanted philanthropy to play a central role in my life.” Smith said when he created his foundation JUST Goods. “Starting JUST was almost entirely about an altruistic endeavor, the altruism around reducing greenhouse gas emissions from everyday things.”
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