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Food Trucks to the Rescue
An 'unorthodox way' to bolster food security in the summertime. The Lempert Report: Can food trucks fill in the gaps and provide meals for America's kids?
Phil Lempert
August 2, 2019
1 Min Read
The Lempert Report: Can food trucks fill in the gaps and provide meals for America's kids?Photograph: YouTube
Food trucks to the rescue—of those affected by hunger, that is. A Virginia school district purchased a food truck to serve free lunches to students over the summer.
Phillip Gardner, Danville Public Schools director of child nutrition, told ABC News that Danville Public Schools bought the food truck, for $42,000, because of its "desire to feed our children as much as we can." The school district said it served lunch from the truck at two locations, Monday through Thursday, from June until Aug. 1. Students were provided the meal for free, while others could purchase one for $3.65.
About 600 meals were served out of the truck the first week, feeding an average of 140 to 160 students per day, Gardner said.
Danville Public Schools Superintendent Stanley Jones said incorporating the food truck into the summer feeding program was the "right thing to do to make sure children in our community have access to meals."
The food truck will also be used during the school year to provide an "unorthodox" way for students to get lunch beyond just using the cafeteria line, Gardner said. Plans call for the truck to rotate among the schools within the district.
In addition, the truck is equipped with Wi-Fi so it can be used for educational purposes, Jones said.
During the school year, 20.2 million students nationwide receive a free lunch each day as part of the National School Lunch Program, according to the School Nutrition Association. Another 1.8 million receive a reduced-priced meal at 40 cents.
