Matt Allen, the Ice Cream Man, travels the country, handing out free ice cream to girls, boys, and grown ups alike.
Nothing says summer like the cheery tune of the Good Humor Truck. You’ve probably got fond memories of a childhood spent begging your parents for extra change to buy one of those jumbo chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches, then wolfing it down and licking your sticky fingers.
Well, Matt Allen, otherwise known as the Ice Cream Man, is here to bring your childhood fantasies back to life. For the last four years, Allen has spent his summers driving around in an old ice cream truck dubbed “Bessie,” handing out free frozen desserts to boys, girls, and grown-ups alike. He’s traveled to dozens of music festivals, children’s hospitals, and even an Air Guitar Championship, logging over 15,000 miles, and handing out more than 125,000 free ice cream treats.
Allen wasn’t a pure altruist at the start: He actually got into the ice cream man business to make a few bucks, as most people do. But after his first season selling, he hadn’t made much money, and had lots of leftover ice cream that he wasn’t sure what to do with. So he threw an ice cream social, advertising free ice cream for all. It was a hit, to say the least.
“There was a line the length of a football field, all ages, waiting for free ice cream, and everyone was just so happy,” Allen told the Austin Chronicle. “If I’m not going to make any money selling ice cream, why not find a way to give it away?”
So, traveling coast to coast across America in beat-up old Bessie, that’s what he’s done every summer since. He relies on corporate sponsorships from brands like Levis to cover his gas costs, and web surfers can sponsor the Ice Cream Man to help him hand out more free treats on his website, helping him reach his goal of handing out half a million ice creams.
That may seem like an ambitious goal, but the Ice Cream Man abides. “Either you go through your life thinking you can change the world or thinking you cannot,” he said. “If those are the only two options, how can you not at least try?”