When I called Arlillian Bushelon about the new West End Food Truck Park, I was expecting to write up a short story about the food trucks and where to go.

Instead, I learned an invaluable lesson about community and a local small business – a funeral home – that cares deeply about it.

First the Food Truck Park Details

West End Food Trucks — West End Food Truck Park at Bushelon Funeral Home parking lot (800 14h St. S.W. Birmingham 35211). Photo via West End Food Truck Park

Just to make sure you don’t miss it. Mark it down Birmingham. Every Thursday, the West End Food Truck Park opens between 11:30am to 2:30pm at Bushelon Funeral Home parking lot (800 14h St. S.W. Birmingham 35211). That’s right. The food truck park is in the parking lot of a funeral home.

Now, here is what I learned from Arlillian.

Pillar of the Community

It really piqued my interest. Why a food truck park, especially at a funeral home? Arlillian was ready for my question.

“Here in the West End area we don’t have many places to eat. We have the fast food chains, Burger King and McDonalds, but we don’t have a variety of healthy food. So we wanted to bring healthy foods to our area. I figured the quickest way to do that was a food truck park.

Now, we are providing something different, something healthy for our community – because we live in a food desert here.”

So I asked the obvious question, why is your family funeral home business involved?

She said, “Years ago the funeral home business was the pillar of the community. It was a meeting place for civil rights leaders. It was the place for people to lean on when they were going through hard times. I want the funeral home to get back to that. Our funeral home was started by my father. I wanted to go back to our roots. We want to show the community that we care for it and those who we serve.”

Popular Food Truck Park

West End Food Truck Park 5 Local funeral home brings healthy meals to the West End via a food truck park — West End Food Truck Park at Bushelon Funeral Home parking lot (800 14h St. S.W. Birmingham 35211). Photo via West End Food Truck Park

According to Bushelon, the food truck park has been very popular with the Hemphill Elementary School’s faculty and staff and employees at Princeton Hospital.

More than a food truck park, recently they have welcomed clothing and toy drives to operate alongside the food trucks.