City food truck provides kids with free meals

Whitefish’s Parks and Recreation Department has earned a significant grant that will give kids easier access to healthy food this summer.

The $20,000 grant is part of a larger $2.3 million grant from the Walmart Foundation to support out-of-school time programs.

Whitefish will use some of the funds to implement a mobile food program beginning next month. A mobile food truck will park at various locations around town, providing meals for free to children 18 and under.

The food truck expands on a program put in place last year where free breakfasts and lunches were provided at the middle school. Partnering with the Whitefish School District, the program served about 30 breakfast and 60 lunch meals every day.

“We found that last year we were able to service a large group of children, but that some were unable to get to the school every day,” said Maria Butts, recreation coordinator for the city of Whitefish. “Now that we have a mobile unit we can distribute healthy lunches throughout the community.”

The mobile food truck will stop at City Beach, Soroptimist Park, the skatepark and the Kiddie Park. The meals are free and there is no need to sign up.

The truck will hit the streets beginning June 16. Free meals at the middle school will also be provided, with breakfast served from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. and lunch from noon to 1 p.m.

There are no requirements, other an age, for children to participate.

The grant will also be used to get kids active and teach them about healthy eating habits.

Following the OrganWise program, kids attending the city’s summer day camp and after-school program will learn about how food effects their body and how to eat healthy.

Day trips to the Lions Club community garden are planned, as well as a day of healthy food taste testing.

“Kids vote on their favorite healthy foods and then we cook with them,” Butts said.

The grant will also help purchase paddleboards for use by kids in the summer day camp.

Butts said thanks to the grant, more summer day camp scholarships will be available.

“We want to get more kids to camp so they can experience the physical activities we provide,” she said.

Stretching the grant dollars even further, the city is starting up a new program aimed at getting kids on the ski slopes in the winter, while teaching them about community service.

Students in middle school will be able to volunteer within the parks department. After 20 hours of service, the city will purchase them a Whitefish Mountain Resort ski pass.

Up to 10 children can apply for the program. The application requires children to write an essay on community service and explain what a ski pass would mean to the child.

To learn more call the Parks and Recreation Department at 863-2472.