School lunches from a food truck? How this district is feeding kids this summer

When the Goshen Grub Bus pulls into Green Acres Mobile Home Village on a Wednesday morning in July, a group of kids on bicycles is already waiting.

Alisa Hill, head cook for Spaulding Elementary School, helps the kids form a line along the side of the bus.

"I love your sunglasses!" she calls out to one of the boys. She tries to connect, in some small way or another, to each kid that passes through.

Hill helps the children go from one bus window to the next, collecting two breakfasts and a lunch. It's not enough to get these kids through the long holiday weekend, but for many families, it's a huge help.

"It's like trick or treat in July," Hill tells the kids. They open their plastic grocery bags wide to catch their meals.

Goshen Local Schools serves a suburban and rural community in Clermont County. About 43% of the district's 2,700 students are economically disadvantaged, according to state data . The district has provided summer meals through the federal summer meal reimbursement program for years, but Goshen's Brooke Huhn, the district's food services director, thought the schools could do more to reach hungry kids.

Traditionally, Goshen served summer meals out of Marr/Cook Elementary School. But for some students, Huhn said, that's 5 miles or more from home.

"If their parents are working or they don't have a car, then they can't get here," Huhn said. Plus, there are no sidewalks in Goshen. "It just wouldn't be safe for them to travel this far."

This year, because of Huhn's vision, the district has taken its summer meal program up a notch. Petermann Bus Service gifted Goshen its Grub Bus, Superintendent Brian Bailey reached out to other community partners for donations and Huhn assembled a small but mighty team to get hot meals to kids four days a week.

Each day, Mondays through Thursdays, the bus makes five stops in different neighborhoods – mostly in mobile home parks – to provide a breakfast and lunch for any child 18 or younger. The lunches always have a fruit, vegetable and protein. Kids don't have to qualify for free and reduced lunch to get the free meals, or even be Goshen students − all are welcome.

Huhn also advocated for the district to extend its summer meal program, so instead of only serving meals in June, the Goshen Grub Bus will make rounds through July 25.

The Goshen Grub Bus schedule is available on the district's website and at the end of this story.

'The bus definitely makes a difference.'

Huhn, Hill, Goshen bus driver Carrie Wilson and Marr/Cook Elementary kitchen manager Crystal McIntosh gave up their July off to keep the bus going. Each morning they heat up and pack the kids' meals, load up the bus and make their rounds to different neighborhoods across town.

Hill, who has worked in the district for 17 years, said it's "a work of the heart."

"I think the bus definitely makes a difference," Hill said. "And we're getting to the families who really need it."

Parents think so, too.

"We come here almost every day," Madison Malicoat said as her two daughters settled back into their stroller, meal bags in hand.

Malicoat said she didn't even know about the summer meal program last year. Now that the bus comes through her neighborhood, she's grateful.

But mostly, Malicoat said, her girls love the bus because every now and then their principal or other district staff ride through and say hello.

Melissa Bilby said her kids love the bus, too, because it gives them a reason to get out and see their friends.

Hundreds of kids served

By early July, families know the schedule and congregate at the meeting place outside of each mobile home park's central office. The kids are in pajamas and bathing suits, pausing summer vacation activities to get their daily meals.

The women running the bus call out to each child − "I like your shoes," and "What's up, buddy?" and "Here comes Brady!" − while holding out goldfish cracker bags and cartons of chocolate milk.

Some of the kids wave back and smile. Some call back in a shy, "thank you." And every now and then, a child reaches up with a drawing in exchange for their meal.

The number of kids served varies day to day, Huhn said. There are less families that come out when the weather heats up. On July 3, when the bus came through with an extra breakfast for the holiday weekend, Goshen served 201 kids.

"It's a special thing for our community and kids," Superintendent Bailey said.

Goshen Grub Bus schedule

Any child 18 or younger, including kids who don't go to Goshen schools, can get a free breakfast and lunch from the Goshen Grub Bus Mondays through Thursdays.

Here's the bus schedule:

• Woodville Gardens Mobile Home Park from 10:45 a.m. to 11:10 a.m.
• Green Acres Mobile Home Village from 11:15 a.m. to 11:40 a.m.
• Fay Gardens Mobile Home Park from 11:45 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.
• Lakeshore Estates Mobile Home Park from 12:15 p.m. to 12:40 p.m.
• MeadowView Townhomes from 12:45 p.m. to 1:10 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: School lunches from a food truck? How this district is feeding kids this summer