Danville High School senior places 10th in the nation for her Grace on the Go-inspired 3-D model

Mae Pierce, a 17-year-old Danville High School senior, placed 10th in the nation in July for her Technology Student Association (TSA) Transportation Modeling project inspired by Grace on the Go. Her model, Curbside Connections, earned her first place at the Kentucky state competition in April, which sent her to nationals in Nashville at the Opryland Hotel this summer where she finished in the Top 10. She is the first Danville High School student to make it to TSA’s national competition, and her placement in the Top 10 is a tremendous accomplishment. Read on to learn more about how Mae made this happen…

Mae Pierce has been in the TSA club at Danville High School, sponsored by Mr. Caleb Wetmore, since sophomore year and enjoys the way it combines her love of engineering and art through its various competition categories. When the theme of the Transportation Modeling category was announced as “FOOD TRUCK” earlier this year, Pierce knew exactly what she wanted to do - she’d make her own version of Grace on the Go. She quickly got to work on building her own mobile community cafe.

Pierce has been well aware of the Grace Cafe mission, having been a child in the original brick and mortar nonprofit on 4th street when it was operating between 2015-2020. She always loved the mission and the atmosphere, and was so glad to see it return as a mobile version in 2024. In addition, as a DHS student, she saw firsthand the positive impact of Grace Cafe’s weekly Snack Bag program, where every Wednesday students who sign up get a free meal lovingly packed and delivered by volunteers. Pierce said, “The Snack Bag program makes all the students so happy here.”

Pierce had interviewed Grace Cafe executive director, Jennifer Earle, about Grace on the Go for the DHS newspaper, The Crow’s Nest, and learned more about the importance of having a mobile nonprofit cafe that could get to people facing' transportation barriers.

“I was really interested in the concept of the price of a meal being whatever you need it to be,” Pierce said. “I see Grace on the Go as the best way to get food to the people who most need it.” The judges at the state and national competition thought so too and really connected with Pierce’s pitch, process, and purpose of her design, which took her 250 hours to complete. Pierce’s Curbside Connections is 15.5" by 15.5" and made of PLA plastic, wood, and various detailing materials, then painted with acrylic and spray paint.

With Pierce’s love of visual art and engineering, after graduation in May 2026 she is hoping to pursue a college program that combines both of these passions.

Our Graceful Community is so proud of Mae Pierce’s inspiration, hard work, and abilities to excel in this way. We wish her the best in her future success in the STEM arena.

LEX Story on the relaunch of Grace Cafe

DANVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — Grace Cafe quickly grew into a mainstay of the Danville community back in 2015.

Serving up a lot more than just a good meal.

"We’re a pay what you can café. How it works is you can pay what you can afford. You can pay what you would typically pay someplace else or you could pay it forward to help a neighbor or you can volunteer for your food," executive director Jennifer Earle said.

Folks enjoyed sinking their teeth into a good cause.

However, like so many other businesses, Grace Cafe closed its doors in 2020.

The pandemic led the GC team to reinvent the business into a more sustainable model.

"It took us a while to figure out what we wanted to do. Danville doesn’t have a lot of locations that had kitchens in them. We also don’t have great transportation," Earle said

"We just felt that the food trailer was the best option so we could go out into the community and serve the people.”

The logo Boyle County residents came to love is now on wheels, a full trailer freshly painted to bring Grace Cafe new life.

Now known as Grace on the Go

“(The trailer) was bright red, no lettering, you didn’t know what it was going to be," Grace Cafe director of communication and development Mary Beth Murray said.

“My hope for Grace on the Go is to really have it be a place where people know they’re going to get fresh, hot, healthy food no matter what they can afford."

Barely open a week, the tight knit team is hard at work cranking out the simple but sought after menu of soups, salads and sandwiches, looking to expand their options as time goes on.

The mobile aspect on the business gives Grace on the Go a chance to serve more of the surrounding community, reconnecting with as many people as possible.

“Yesterday a lady come up and she said ‘I’ve been waiting for you to open. I used to eat there everyday," Earle said.

“The community really supported us and we’re so thankful.”

Grace on the Go truly wouldn't exist without that support.

In the span of seven months, $79,000 was raised to get the trailer up and running in time for the holiday season.

If you want to follow the schedule of where Grace on the Go will be day to day, click here.

Grace Cafe at One World Everybody Eats Summit

Grace on the Go is not only making plans to become a new fixture of our local community but also has a place in the national conversation about food equity, access, and reducing food insecurity for our most vulnerable populations. Our amazing Executive Director, Jennifer Earle, recently spent time in Milwaukee planning, leading, and speaking at the national conference for One World Everybody Eats - the national organization dedicated to increasing food security and building community through its pay-what-you-can nonprofit restaurant model. OWEE provides a unique local solution to the global issue of hunger. We are so fortunate to be able to share in peer-to-peer learning and modeling as we relaunch into our new, mobile food trailer this year!