Ariz. districts serve free summer meals on buses

PHOENIX — The Litchfield Elementary School District serves about 3,000 meals per day as part of Arizona's Summer Food Service Program, with about 150 of those meals being served on a school bus.

The program offers free meals to students ages 18 and younger, The Arizona Republic reports. Traditionally, the summer meal program is offered in school cafeterias and community centers, but budget cuts have forced several schools to shut down campuses during the summer.

Casa Grande Elementary School District attempted to offer the meals at parks, but the heat discouraged attendance. As an alternative, Field Supervisor Stella Gates suggested using school bus routes and air-conditioned buses to help serve breakfast and lunch to students.

Due to the mobile meal program's success, Casa Grande Elementary administrators were asked by the Arizona Department of Education to speak about it at the Summer Food Service Program kickoff in April.

Inspired by Casa Grande's positive results, Litchfield Elementary started its own bus program in May, Food Service Director David Schwake told The Arizona Republic. The district uses an elementary school bus route because 70 percent of its 800 students qualify for free and reduced-price lunch and the route is miles from the nearest feeding site.

The state reimburses participating organizations $1.71 to $2.98 per meal, depending on whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner. Litchfield served more than 92,000 summer meals last year and was reimbursed $253,500, according to the newspaper.