The Ice (Cream) Man Cometh
With apologies to Eugene O’Neill for the headline – I just couldn’t resist 😉 – meet my old friend Jake Heusinkveld. Let’s call him the “Ice Cream Man.”
Jake retired awhile back after a long career with Hewlett-Packard. I hadn’t seen Jake in a while, and my wife and I bumped into him last month at a celebration of World Refugee Day to discover he’s taken on a new role in retirement. It’s pretty cool.
Jake got a motorcycle, outfitted it with a trailer and a cooler, and began delivering ice cream once each week to apartment complexes and neighborhoods here in Boise housing high populations of refugees and immigrants.
His sign, which communicates in 12 languages, says simply in each: Welcome. Ice Cream. Free. ❤️
I found Jake’s story both inspiring and intriguing, so I looped back to ask him a few more questions about his “social enterprise.”
Godspeed, friends.
Russ
When did you start giving out ice cream in the refugee neighborhoods?
I retired from the Boise office of Hewlett Packard (HP) in April 2021. After working at “not working,” I thought it would be fun to do some volunteering in Boise supporting refugees and immigrants.
How did you land on ice cream?
As a kid growing up in Lewiston, ID, I remember our local ice cream truck making its rounds during the summer. As my three kids grew up in Boise, we would get treats from Crazy Larry, the local ice cream purveyor. I figured that would be a good “occupation.” And who doesn’t like ice cream?
Was there a moment of inspiration that caused you to start doing this?
During my time at HP, I applied for a grant from the HP Foundation to outfit a computer lab at a local non-profit, Jannus. We purchased PCs, monitors, networking gear, set it all up in a former storage closet at Jannus and began monthly sessions for immigrants and refugees, teaching them how to use full-sized computers for filling out forms for starting businesses, education documents, licenses, etc. It made me aware of the many needs our newest neighbors have when relocating to Boise. I thought giving refugee and immigrant kids the experience of a summertime treat would be good as well.
What, if any, were your hesitations when you began?
There were a couple of things I had to figure out before I started this adventure. First, I had to figure out how to transport frozen treats and keep them frozen. I started down a path to purchase a golf cart sized vehicle and outfit it with an onboard freezer. It had to be licensable to run on public roads. It had to be economical, so I was looking at an electric utility vehicle. Then storing and recharging the thing became an issue, along with the cost. My wife, Val, a former CFO, suggested starting out with something on a smaller scale, which made sense. I took my Dad’s 1970 Honda CT90 motorcycle, attached a bicycle cargo trailer, got a large cooler to sit on the trailer and voilà, I had a mobile ice cream delivery system that can be stored in my garage, gets 100 mpg, and can run on the road, albeit slowly. Using dry ice keeps my “product” frozen.
The second thing was how to reach as many kids as possible. As a longtime supporter of the Boise Bicycle Project (BBP), I knew about their Mobile Fix-It sessions where volunteer mechanics visit locations throughout the late spring to early fall season repairing bicycles where kids are concentrated. These is typically at schools or apartments. I reached out to BBP, explained what I was wanting to do, and was readily accepted.
You do this once a week, yes? And how many neighborhoods do you go to?
As I began to meet the kids and families at some of the apartment complexes, I would visit them on my own, giving out treats. I think there are 18 or so locations BBP or I visit throughout the Mobile Fix-It summer season.
How many languages are on your sign?
I started out with 9 languages on the sign. I like it when kids see the sign and point out their native language which is often spoken in their homes. As I came across a “customer” whose language was not on the sign, I would have the sign modified to include it. Thankfully, the great folks at Jannus are happy to help me translate the words and identify fonts to add to the sign. The sign now has 12 languages.
How much ice cream do you give out in a day?
I usually purchase about 120 pieces of prepackaged frozen treats per delivery session. I get ice cream bars, ice cream sandwiches, and popsicles to hand out.
Do you pay for all the ice cream or have others chipped in?
My wife and I have been fortunate. We fund the expenses ourselves.
Any prominent memories that stand out for you from your experience doing this?
I like seeing kids who have English language skills convince their parents, who may not be as fluent, to sit down and enjoy a frozen treat. It warms my heart to hand out napkins to “customers” with ice cream drips. I like it when kids hear me roll up on my little motorcycle, start screaming “ice cream, ice cream,” and begin to line up, often asking to touch my way-prematurely silver colored hair.
Rock, paper, or scissors?
Hmmm. I suppose I would choose all three. In the game, you must adapt to the situation. A single solution will not always yield a “winning” outcome.
💬 Think About It
“When I’m no longer rapping, I want to open up an ice cream parlor and call myself Scoop Dogg.” Snoop Dog
Let's keep the dog theme going by exclaiming, "All hail Sirius, the Dog Star." As we enter the hottest of the Dog Days of Summer here in the Northern Hemisphere, I thought I'd share with you how we handle it at our house: Like true pros.
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"Godspeed: an expression of good wishes to a person starting a journey."
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