Rocket pop? Drumstick? Orange pushup? July is National Ice Cream Month but with U.S. sales of ice cream topping $21 billion annually, we’re a nation that clearly doesn’t need an excuse to celebrate our favorite dessert. When you were a kid (or, well, even yesterday) there was no sweeter sound than the cheerful jingle announcing The Ice Cream Man. A quick search through your pockets for change and you would join the mad dash for the mobbed white truck.
For Matt Allen, being The Ice Cream Man isn’t a job. It’s a mission. “I got to a point in my life where I was convinced that I could do anything that I wanted,” says Matt. That point came somewhere amidst several epic journeys—through-hiking the Appalachian Trail, bicycling from his native California to Maine to raise $17,000 for breast cancer awareness, and hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. So what did he want to do? Give 500,000 ice creams away for free.
Beginning with an ice cream social in Ashland, Oregon, Matt has provided free frozen treats at music festivals, town halls, street corners and parks. He estimates it will take six years to reach his goal. “Free ice cream is a fun vehicle to put smiles on people’s faces,” he says. “The bigger picture of what I’m trying to do, what I want to be remembered for, is finding a way to do something different and showing people you can fulfill your dreams. I tell kids, ‘We live in the best place in the world, at the best time in history, what are you waiting for? Why wait to fulfill your dreams?'”
Matt has inspired dairy companies big and small to donate ice cream to his cause and is 80,000 cones closer to his dream. Look for Matt and his ice cream truck this July. No money required, just a smile.
