WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio — School is out for the summer for most school districts in the area. That means no class, no homework and, for some students, no lunch.
So, school leaders and organizations across the country are stepping up to help fill the gap. In Washington Court House, that help is coming in the form of the Big Blue Bus.
"We took this old bus and we retrofitted it and wrapped it and it turned out to be a total blessing for our community," said Washington Court House City Schools Superintendent Tom Bailey.
The bus used to be an old forest green church bus. Now, it could easily operate as a fully functioning food truck. There is a flattop grill, food warmer, fridge, food prep station and more.
The goal is to deliver lunch to students who might not get it otherwise now that school is out for the summer.
"About 60 percent of our students are on free and reduced lunch and we know that they come to school hungry," Bailey said. "So we figure – what are they doing for the three months that they’re out of school? And, after digging into it a little more, we realized that the kids are not getting nutritious meals."
In fact, according to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, only one in six children who qualifies for free or reduced lunches during the school year has access to meals during the summer.
"There’s a great need out there," Bailey said. "And when families are struggling to keep a roof over their head or to keep a car so that they can make it to a job that’s paying minimum wage, a lot of times, nutritious food is a luxury."
On Thursday, the bus was serving up hot calzones, green beans, milk, fruit and — a fan favorite — an icy dessert.
"They were very excited about it," said Amber Baker, the mother of three children. "They heard what was for lunch today, and they were like – 'Mommy, we got to go.' They’re pretty excited about it."
Baker said there is a real need for this program in the community and she is personally grateful.
"Currently, I’m not working right now," she said. "I’m off with a shoulder injury, so that was a struggle to think about how we were going to feed the kids this summer. So, it definitely has helped us out a bunch."
The program is funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Summer Food Service Program. SugarCreek covered the costs of the bus, McDonald's is providing the paper products and the superintendent says several other businesses, churches and organizations in the community are contributing.
And organizers are still trying to get the word out in the community. Flyers went home with students at the end of the school year and local churches were contacted. But the news is still spreading.
Each day, there will be a different activity along with the food service. For instance, there is "Make-It Monday" for students to do crafts and "Workout Wednesday" so that students can exercise with varsity student athletes.
"As far as I know, we’re the first district with a bus and we have the food service part of it, but we also have the academic piece to it, so our goal is to not only nourish their bodies but to nourish their minds each and every day — either through physical activity or reading or some other activity," Bailey said. "This isn’t just for our economically disadvantaged students either. This program is for any child between zero and 18. So, we encourage every child to come out and get the free lunch."
The Big Blue Bus will make four stops in Washington Court House each weekday and lunch will also be served in the high school cafeteria.
To find a USDA Summer Food Service Program near you, click here to find an interactive map.
According to the Ohio Department of Education, there were a total of 1,555 sites for the program in Ohio for 2018 with 205 sponsors. There was also an average daily attendance of 65,578 children eating summer meals around the state.