Prizewinning mobile meals
School Nutrition Services wins awards for summer mobile-meal program
Thousands of
Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Schools students listen
for the bullhorn signaling
the CMS Lunch Express
has arrived. The mobile-
meal service rolls into
neighborhoods five days
a week each summer to
feed children who might
otherwise go hungry
when school’s not in
session.
School Nutrition
Services (SNS)
introduced Lunch
Express in 2015 to reach
students in remote areas
with no transportation
to traditional meal
sites. The program has
more than tripled its
reach since it began
and has earned SNS
the U.S. Department
of Agriculture’s 2018
Best Practice Award for
outstanding practices
in schools and School
Food Authorities in the
Southeast. The award
was presented Oct. 25
at the N.C. Department
of Public Instruction
(NCDPI) School Nutrition Administrators Conference in Durham.
SNS has won the N.C. 2018 Going the Distance in Innovation award from
NCDPI and No Kid Hungry North Carolina. The department was recognized at
the SummerPalooza! Summit in Hickory Oct. 30.
“We are very excited about this recognition for our staff,” said Cathy
Beam, SNS executive director. “We put a lot of planning and hard work into
the program and are always working to feed children in their communities on a
larger scale.
Lunch Express is just one part of the CMS Summer Food Service Program,
which is the largest summer-meal program in the state. Students from ages 1
through 18 receive free meals that meet federal nutrition guidelines. CMS had
more than 50 meal sites at schools around Mecklenburg County last summer.
For students who are unable to leave their neighborhoods, Lunch
Express brings meals to them. The process begins with meal assembly at
Mountain Island Lake Academy. SNS support vans are used to transport the
food and CMS Transportation supplies activity buses that serve as mobile
dining rooms. Teams make 30-minute stops on four routes each weekday
from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“We’re meeting the kids where they are,” said Karen Sullivan, area
supervisor for the first two years of the program.
Seven sites were identified for the pilot program and 8,183 meals were
served. In year two, the numbers grew to 14,742 meals served at 13 sites,
followed by 23,519 meals served at 18 sites in 2017. Last summer, SNS
served 31,008 meals at 17 sites. Meals include pre-made and fresh items, as
well as hot entrees and
salads that were added
in 2017.
“The Lunch Express
summer program has
been a blessing for
our community,” said
Principal Cara Heath of
Berryhill School. “Our
families love going to
the bus sites for lunch in
the summer. They are so
appreciative and make it
a fun outing for their kids
each day. It is a relief
for me to know that our
families are being taken
care of in the summer.”
Each three-person
team is led by a cafeteria
manager – Daniel
Corben, Mountain
Island Academy; Ryan
Moore, Lebanon Road
Elementary; Maria
Tolentino, Winding
Springs Elementary; or
Jose Tolentino, Bradley
Middle. There is also a
cafeteria worker and a
CMS bus driver, who is
hired for the summer.
They engage students
in activities that include music, dancing and Hula-Hoops, as well as trivia
and educational games. Last summer, a $1,500 grant provided books for the
program’s first mobile library.
“It’s about more than just feeding the kids,” said Area Supervisor Heidi
Bodak. “They are also developing mentoring relationships – they go above
and beyond.”
Planning for Lunch Express starts at the beginning of the calendar year.
There are many layers in the process and lots of legwork by staff to find the
right physical locations and obtain property permissions. Menus are adopted
and test runs are held as SNS continues to improve the service. The day
before the summer program begins, staff blanket the approved areas on foot,
armed with door hangers and lawn signs in English and Spanish that list the
bus-arrival time for each neighborhood.
Each May, SNS also collects other items that can be delivered along
with the meals. Toothpaste and toothbrushes are popular, along with other
hygiene items, shoes, backpacks and school supplies.
Area Supervisor Susan Argenti submitted SNS for the USDA award.
She said the program can be adapted for other districts and the submission
was laid out as a teaching tool. She said Lunch Express is possible with the
help of great partnerships with CMS Police, Second Harvest Food Bank of
Metrolina, Promising Pages “Books on Break,” Walmart, Hendricks Automotive
Group, Assistance League of Charlotte, Charlotte Mecklenburg Libraries and
The Dairy Alliance (formerly SUDIA)/Fuel Up to Play 60.
“We’ve got it down to a science now,” Beam said. “We are always fine-
tuning and expanding to serve the most in the least amount of time.”
Parent Teacher Magazine • November/December 2018 • 7