Carson Wentz still ‘loves the people of Philadelphia,’ impacting the area through charity food truck

When Carson Wentz gets the chance to call old friend Kyle Horner, a pastor at The Connect Church in Cherry Hill, he’ll ask about the community that he was once a part of.

Wentz and his wife, Madison, developed a bond with the church after he was drafted by the Eagles in 2016, spending time with Horner and church members.

After a few conversations with the pastor about ways to give back to the community, Wentz decided to use his AO1 foundation to partner and launch a food truck that provides free meals for families, looking to decrease food insecurity in family households.

Even as a Washington Commanders quarterback, Wentz has continued to impact the Philly area through the Thy Kingdom Crumb food truck. Despite what Eagles fans might think of their former franchise QB, Horner said, Wentz still “loves the people of Philadelphia.”

He’ll make his return tonight at Lincoln Financial Field for Monday Night Football, and his foundation has used his arrival as a way to celebrate the food truck’s growth since launching in 2018.

“My greatest desire for Philadelphia, when it comes to understanding Carson and Madison, is that Philly can see how much they truly still love them by the actions that they do,” said Horner, who is the board president for Thy Kingdom Crumb.

“When someone you’re dating breaks up with you, you usually don’t keep paying the rent, right? But there’s still the investment of love, time, energy, resources that’s real. Carson doesn’t just write out a check. They really are invested with what’s going on here.”

After Wentz was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in 2021, there wasn’t a conversation about whether the food truck would continue, because Horner knew Wentz felt their mission was bigger than football.

Wentz released a statement following his departure from the Eagles, saying: “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish through Thy Kingdom Crumb since we launched it in 2018, and I only want to see this ministry continue to grow in the years to come. Regardless of where I’m playing, I believe that through the gift of free food, TKC will continue to demonstrate God’s love to the people of the greater Philadelphia area.”

He started another food truck in Indianapolis directly through his foundation. As for the Philly location, his brother Zach, who’s the vice president of AO1, has helped run it. (AO1 stands for “audience of one.”)

“Zach and Andie [Zach’s wife] came to church here as well,” Horner said. “We’ve had relationships for years, so it makes it easy when you’re doing it, when your core values are very similar, and you’re working from the same vision.”

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Wentz, though, tries to stay close to what’s happening at TKC, and likes to ask about the people who have participated, Horner said, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it was difficult to serve food because of city and state guidelines.

The food truck shifted then. It started serving family meal boxes that would be picked up drive-through style, instead of individuals waiting in line for food.

“We still do that twice a month now because the need is so great,” Horner said. “People come here 2½ hours early in line, waiting for us to open because we only have limited boxes.

“To see a dad, a husband, who’s willing to come through and pick up food boxes for their family, or people picking up for neighbors, aunts, and cousins who can’t come or a relative who can’t be there, we’ve seen so many people impacted in real ways.”

Each month, Thy Kingdom Crumb releases a schedule and location on its social media accounts for when the truck will be open. Anyone is eligible to receive a meal, and since it has launched, the truck has served 81,817 free meals in the greater Philadelphia area.

“It doesn’t matter what you believe, where you’ve come from, what kind of car you drive, what side of the street you live on, everyone is welcomed — we even serve Cowboy fans,” Horner said with a laugh.

Horner believes Wentz sees the need. Currently about 16 out of every 100 households in Philadelphia are facing food insecurity. With the cost of food rising, the foundation and the church’s goal is to expand Thy Kingdom Crumb to more cities and increase its distribution.

“Hopefully someday down the road, we can continue to do that with more trucks in other cities,” Horner said. “The concept of what we do is needed everywhere.”