🌭 The Hot Dog Project: A Business with Purpose — Launching November 2025

hotdogprojectfl
Jul 23
3 min read

We’re proud to introduce The Hot Dog Project, our family-built mobile food stand launching in November 2025. But this isn’t just about hot dogs—it’s about building community, teaching life skills, and using food as a tool for connection, confidence, and opportunity.

🚨 A First Responder & Military Family, Fueled by Purpose

We are a first responder family. My husband is a medically retired law enforcement officer with 22 years of service. Our oldest son is proudly serving in the U.S. Navy, and our son Shane—a pediatric stroke survivor with cerebral palsy and autism—is the inspiration behind everything we do.

I’m Alex Marie. I have a background in nursing and EMT training, and I’m a special needs mama who refuses to let the world say "no" to our kids. I’ve seen what happens when children with disabilities are given a chance—and it’s incredible.

🕯️ From Shane & Pepper to The Hot Dog Project

Before we moved to Florida, I served as the Program Director and Coordinator at Shane & Pepper Candle Company, a business I co-founded with Shane. Our mission was the same as it is today: to empower youth and young adults with disabilities/neurodiversity through hands-on experience, skill-building, and community engagement.

We proudly partnered with organizations like Easter Seals, the NEXT STEPS Program, and local high schools and private families. Students and program participants didn’t just make candles—they created custom scents, worked the cash register, greeted customers, and built social and life skills they could carry into the future.

We even blended our Ability Culinary Program into the candle shop, offering participants the chance to help with food prep, event snacks, and hospitality. It wasn’t just a store—it was a safe space for learning, growth, and confidence.

Now, it’s Florida’s turn. The Hot Dog Project is officially underway!

👨‍🍳 Shane’s Next Chapter

Shane is now taking Culinary Arts 1 & 2 in high school here in Florida. He’s thriving in the kitchen and learning the fundamentals of food safety, prep, and service. He’ll soon be ServSafe certified, just like I am. I currently hold both the ServSafe Food Handler and Food Protection Manager certifications, and every team member we bring on will be certified.

🍴 Our Ability Culinary Program – Always Free

We are launching our Ability Culinary Program once again—but this time in the form of a mobile food stand. It will be completely free for participants. All we ask for is love, support, and inclusion from our community.

Through this program, participants will:

Learn basic cooking and food service skills
Practice customer interaction and social communication
Gain life skills like teamwork, dependability, and confidence

📊 Why This Is Needed

In Florida, over 2.7 million people live with a disability—roughly 13–14% of the population.
In the U.S., more than 1 in 4 adults (around 70 million people) live with some form of disability.
United States (2024 data)
- The employment–population ratio for all adults (ages 16+) with a disability reached a record 22.7% in 2024, up slightly from 22.5% a year earlier . Business Insider+15Bureau of Labor Statistics+15Wikipedia+15.
- Among working-age adults (16–64) with disabilities, employment rose to 38% in mid‑2024, up from 30% in 2009 DOL.
- The labor force participation rate (those working or actively looking) was 24.5% overall, and around 41.9% among working-age adults DOL.
- The unemployment rate for people with disabilities stood at 7.5% in 2024, compared to about 3.8% for those without.  Reuters+5Bureau of Labor Statistics+5Bureau of Labor Statistics+5.

Yet inclusive, meaningful, real-world opportunities remain far too rare. WE can do better!

💛 From One Special Needs Mama to Another

Having a child with a disability is never what you plan for, but once it’s your path, you fight like hell to make the world better for them.

I don’t take “no” for an answer. I create opportunities when they don’t exist. And I build the future I want my child and others like him to walk into.

The Hot Dog Project is more than a business. It’s the next chapter of a mission that started with wax and wicks and now continues with buns and toppings. It’s about equity, dignity, and food with purpose.

When you visit The Hot Dog Project, you're not just getting a hot dog.

You’re: