Retrofitted bus to serve up summer meals

GALION - Galion City Schools is adding a bus with a few upgrades, to help serve meals to students until July 27 around the city. 

The district received a grant from the Children's Hunger Alliance, which was put toward the new lunch bus. It also received donations from area businesses such as Covert Manufacturing, the Ralph E. Boyd Foundation, Covert Manufacturing, Inc. in Galion, Cooper Enterprises in Shelby and Lowe’s. The bus will be used in addition to a van, allowing six locations to be served. 

Erica Sevilla, Director of Communications for the Childhood Hunger Alliance, said that the Walmart Foundation donated money to Children's Hunger Alliance, to help with programs including mobile summer feeding, which helped make the lunch bus possible.

"This is something that Mr. (Jim) Grubbs (Galion superintendent) has been wanting to do," said Media Liaison for Galion City Schools, Chris Stone. 

He said that the old school bus has been upgraded with booth seating, a bookshelf with books from Crawford Reads 20 for children to read inside. 

Sevilla also said that providing mobile meal services can double and triple the amount of meals that a school is able to serve. 

"If they are in a situation that they need shelter, they can go on the bus and eat their lunch," Stone said.

All meals served by either the bus or the van must be eaten on site and are on a first come, first serve basis, according to a press release sent by the school.

"It is unique and is safer for kids," Sevilla said of the bus. 

The lunch bus will serve meals at the Libby Lane Apartments from 11 until 11:30 a.m., East Park from 11:45 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. and the Galion Church of the Nazarene from 12:30 until 1 p.m.  

Other locations, such as the Galion Public Library, South Park and Heise Park will be serviced by the van. A schedule of meals and serving times can be found at Galion City Schools food service site.