Island Spice Grill, partnered with the Feed My Soul Foundation to help hundreds of Jacksonville students prepare for the new school year during the organization’s second annual Back-to-School Giveaway on the city’s Southside.
The community event provided children with free backpacks, notebooks, pencils, paper, hygiene products and essentials while offering families a day of entertainment that included food trucks, bounce houses and horse rides.
The giveaway reflects the community-focused mission of Island Spice Grill, a family-owned Caribbean food business founded by Chef Demetrius Newton, known as Chef D.
Chef D launched the business in 2012 in New York City, serving homemade Caribbean cuisine from their backyard to blue-collar workers and commuters. As demand grew, the family expanded into a custom mobile trailer and later established a customer base in Manhattan’s Financial District.
The Newton family eventually relocated to Jacksonville in search of a better quality of life and has continued to grow Island Spice Grille while remaining committed to community outreach. Their long-term goal is to open a brick-and-mortar Caribbean restaurant serving the Jacksonville area.
Organizers said the annual giveaway is part of the business’s ongoing effort to invest in local families by helping students begin the school year with the supplies they need to succeed.