First Student Donates School Bus to Summer Meals Program

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A school bus from the First Student fleet will deliver meals to thousands of students here as part of a summer meals program.

The company donated the bus to New Haven Public Schools to provide free, nutritious food to students throughout the summer months.  
 
“As the school year ends, hunger is an issue for many students,” said First Student Area General Manager Lucille Ayotte. “We are proud to support the district by playing a role in providing children in our community access to healthy meals when school is not in session.”

New Haven Public Schools expects the bus to deliver more than 1,000 meals to children every weekday through Aug. 26.

“One of the biggest obstacles for students participating in the summer meals program is simply not being able to get to a participating site,” said Gail Sharry, food services director at the school district. “Because of this donation from First Student, we hope to reach more children this year. We can use the bus to deliver meals to parks, playgrounds and other locations where families gather.”

More than 75% of New Haven students qualify for free or reduced price school meals. The district will be distributing food at more than 90 locations this summer.