Food trucks may be all the rage, but in New Haven it's also a way to make sure kids in struggling neighborhoods have enough to eat when school is out.
The New Haven Summer Food Truck
All summer long, the New Haven Summer Food Truck hits the streets to deliver free, nutritious means to New Haven kids under the age of 18. The initiative is a result of a partnership between No Kid Hungry and United Way.
United Way of Greater New Haven bought the truck and donated it to the school system. New Haven schools then equip and fuel the truck every summer. So far, the food truck has delivered 47,000 lunches and dinners to playgrounds and schools. Part of the Connecticut No Kid Hungry Campaign, it’s the first such food truck to serve summer meals to kids and youth in the state.
United Way’s partnership with No Kid Hungry is an essential part of our effort to build a stronger community in New Haven, where 75% of students are enrolled in free and reduced lunch programs—and often go hungry when school is out. Some days last summer, the food truck fed as many as 6,000 kids a day.
New Haven Mayor Toni Harp says it’s critical to eliminating what she calls the food “deserts” in the city where fresh produce is hard to come by.
To say that food distribution in cities like New Haven is a pressing issue is a gross understatement. In some of our neighborhoods as many as 40 percent of children are hungry.
New Haven Mayor Toni Harp