Howdy Homemade Ice Cream Serves Sweet Treats

| Words and photos by: ERIN COULEHAN |

SSay hello to El Paso’s newest ice cream parlor with a prosocial mission, and you’ll be met with big smiles, cool music, and served by a few local “heroes.” Howdy Homemade Ice Cream shop, located at the ground level of the Roderick Artspace in downtown El Paso, opened its doors near the end of 2022 and is inspiring people one scoop at a time.

The original Howdy Homemade Ice Cream started in 2015 by Tom Landis in Dallas who was committed to helping people with special needs obtain employment. Landis created the ice cream shop as a place for teens and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities -- the heroes of Howdy Homemade -- to be front-and-center, while also providing valuable structure, confidence, and socialization.

The El Paso Community Foundation heard about Howdy Homemade Ice Cream and Landis’ business model then decided to bring it to El Paso.

“The Foundation really works hard to work with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We were able to set up a preschool to help people birth to age six, we helped bring them mainstream into a public school environment,” says Eric Pearson, President and CEO of the El Paso Community Foundation. “Then we started working with a national nonprofit to support their training for employment. And then we were trying to convince employers ‘Oh, it’s just a good thing to hire people with IDD.’ But we were not necessarily doing that.”

Howdy Homemade Ice Cream now employs local heroes who are already thriving under the model.

Stephen, a hero at the ice cream parlor, greeted me with a warm “Howdy!” when I arrived then showed me around the shop, pointing out the impressive collection of board games that guests are encouraged to play.

But this was not always the case.

Pearson, who worked with Stephen at the El Paso Community Foundation for two years prior to Howdy Homemade Ice Cream’s opening, says Stephen was previously very shy.

“Now, he’s smiling and talking, and just the other day, he and another hero were singing a Howdy Homemade theme song they created,” he explains. “He’s really become more outgoing and socialized around this experience by having the dignity of employment and the opportunity to be part of a really nice environment -- and earn a little scratch on the side.”

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics National Organization on Disability most recent data reports that only 21 percent of Americans 16 years old and older who have disabilities were working or actively looking for work; whereas the rate for Americans who do not have disabilities was 67 percent.

“Persons with a disability were less likely to work in management, professional, and related occupations than those without a disability,” explains the Bureau of Labor Statistics in a news release.

People who have disabilities face barriers in the workforce that occur for myriad reasons that are now being challenged by organizations like the El Paso Community Foundation.

“One reason is that people with disabilities are on average less educated than the average population,” says Charles Catherine, Director of Corporate and Government Relations at the National Organization on Disability. “And that’s because of a lot of reasons: discrimination, difficulty to access education, and low expectations.”

Howdy Homemade Ice Cream has high expectations for its heroes because of the way the heroes have thrived.

“It’s nice that they’re getting a check and they’re getting out of the house,” says Adam Tirres, Program Officer at the El Paso Community Foundation and Manager at Howdy Homemade Ice Cream Shop. “But, really the benefits of providing this opportunity is that they’re

“Our parents have told me that it has been almost like a 180 with her demeanor at home. She’s helping out at home, she’s wanting to do things. She’s doing more social activities outside of holidays and outside of the normal things that she would do with my parents,” says Adam. “She’s attending parties. Our heroes are getting together outside of work, and just being together. I think most parents of our heroes here would agree that the benefits have been so much more than they expected.”

In addition to the sweet prosocial mission of Howdy Homemade Ice Cream, the flavors are delicious.

Patrons can choose from a variety of flavors that include Dr. Pepper Chocolate Chip, Dark Chocolate Chipotle, Prickly Pear Sorbet, and more.

“We’re starting floats in February and shakes in March,” says Adam. We’re gonna be doing a lot of things and getting the heroes involved. It’s not just a head-driven experiment. We’re getting all the heroes input and they’re contributing to the creative process as well. It’s really cool.”

For Marcie, who has always enjoyed ice cream, having gainful employment has had a positive impact on her life.

“I get a lot of social interaction greeting people with ‘Howdy!’ and when I say, ‘Y’all come back now, hear.’”

Marcie says her favorite flavors (and personal recommendations) are the Chocolate Chip Banana and Apple, which she says tastes just like apple crumble pie.

For now, Pearson and Tirres say the El Paso Community Foundation will continue to put its best foot forward and encourage local businesses to employ people who have intellectual disabilities.

“The end goal is that we want employers to also hire people with disabilities,” says Pearson. “There are a lot of people in El Paso and a lot of business owners. There’s a lot of people doing good but I think we can do better.”

Doing good and making people feel good.

“It’s such a great project because it’s ice cream,” says Adam. “You have to be happy when you have a scoop of ice cream. It’s a perfect first job for a perfect place to bring smiles to people’s faces.”

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