A group of kids sat in Kimwood Park in Clifton, Colorado last summer. They had a family size box of Cheez-It crackers and a bag of Doritos that they were about to split for lunch. It was all the food they had — until the Lunch Lizard food truck rolled up. The driver called them over and for the rest of the summer those kids ate free, healthy food.
For children who rely on free school meals, summer can be the hardest time of year. That’s why No Kid Hungry is always looking for new and better ways to make sure more kids get the food they need.
The Lunch Lizard Summer Mobile Meals Program, operated by Mesa County Valley School District 51 in partnership with the Western Colorado Community Foundation, was able to nearly quadruple the number of summer meals they served to kids in 2016 with help from No Kid Hungry. Their two Lunch Lizard food trucks delivered meals to children at twelve locations in low-income communities. They weren’t just thinking about food. The staff and volunteers also made lunchtime fun with bubbles, sidewalk chalk and games.
But food trucks don’t matter if kids and families don’t know about them. Grant funding from No Kid Hungry helped Western Colorado Community Foundation produce marketing materials so they could get the word out about the Lunch Lizard trucks. Before school ended, the Lunch Lizard trucks went to end-of-year celebrations at local elementary schools. This also helped increase families’ familiarity with the truck. Parents and children were able to see the food truck up close.
Last summer the Lunch Lizard trucks served more than 15,500 nutritious summer meals to kids. We can’t wait to see what they do this summer.
Your donation can help us end summer hunger. A gift of $20 can feed 200 meals to hungry children.
