When the Three Little Birds Cafe is mixed in among other vendors at local parks and festivals, it might be hard to tell at first that it’s not your average food truck.
Staffed entirely by people with disabilities, the food truck not only serves handmade American classics — think chicken tenders, smash burgers, and fries — but also embodies the values of The Arc of Camden County.
For nearly 80 years, the Berlin-based nonprofit has been supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.
Today, The Arc provides services ranging from adult day programs to residential care with round-the-clock supervision for hundreds of people across South Jersey, said Michelle Schwarz, a finance specialist with The Arc of Camden County who handles the food truck’s licensing.
And while the food truck is a great place to grab some hand-breaded chicken wings for lunch, it also serves as a stepping stone for individuals hoping to eventually gain meaningful employment out in the community.
Launched last summer as part of the organization’s occupational training program, the food truck offers hands-on work experience in food service, allowing people to develop the skills and confidence they need to succeed in a restaurant or commercial kitchen, Schwarz said.
The best way to connect people with jobs where they’ll thrive is to approach each person as an individual, she said, understanding that where one person may excel, another may struggle.
“We believe everyone has different skills,” she said. “Just because somebody can’t use their legs and they’re in a wheelchair, that doesn’t mean that they can’t go and work for a hotel and fold towels and put pillows in pillowcases.”
By providing training in various industries including janitorial services and product assembly, The Arc has been able to connect countless people with jobs in the community, she said.
The food truck was initially envisioned to serve primarily as a mobile advertisement for the organization, she said, with a QR code linking to The Arc’s website on the back to educate the public on its mission and hopefully boost donations.
But it’s been so popular — both in the community and within the nonprofit — the Three Little Birds Cafe has expanded into the cafeteria at The Arc’s occupational training center in Berlin.
Under the expert guidance of kitchen and food truck manager Dana Bradley, individuals have not only learned how to keep a restaurant running smoothly, but also started to learn to cook for themselves.
“You immediately saw a shift in their confidence,” Schwarz said. “They were so excited to come in and learn something.”
After spending a couple years as a group home manager with the organization, Bradley saw Three Little Birds as a way to tap into the the passion for cooking that she developed working at Corinne’s Place, her mother’s award-winning soul food restaurant in Camden.
“I just love to cook,” Bradley said. Before she officially took over the cafeteria in 2025, she would often make elaborate meals at The Arc with whatever she could find laying around.
Now in charge of The Arc’s large commissary-style kitchen, Bradley is helping train people to work in kitchens across the region.
So far, three of the people the organization serves have moved on from the cafeteria and are working in restaurants and commercial kitchens in Camden and Gloucester Counties, Schwarz said.
“Here we just really believe that everyone has abilities and we focus on their abilities rather than their disabilities,” she said.