HAVERHILL — The school district may soon be serving up more than exams and report cards, with plans to dish out hot meals and hands-on learning from the window of the “Hillie Food Truck.”
On Thursday night, the Haverhill School Committee approved a Request for Proposals (RFP) allowing Superintendent Margaret Marotta to begin the hunt for a fully equipped food truck designed to fight hunger in the city.
At the meeting, Marotta placed the idea before committee members for the first time, calling it a versatile recipe for both nutrition and education.
“It is hard to concentrate when you’re hungry,” her presentation read. “Our Goal: purchase a fully equipped food truck to expand access to nutritious meals for our students and community.”
In Haverhill, 70% of children in the public school system belong to low-income families. The presentation continued with claims that food insecurity rates are rising throughout the state, stretching to local youths.
Food insecurity affected more than 1 in 3 households last year, according to leading anti-hunger nonprofit Project Bread. The organization also said on their website that statewide food insecurity has risen from 19% to 37% over the past five years.
So, the Hillies could treat each other to free meals-on-wheels with Marotta’s plan.
The food truck would be purchased with money from the Cafeteria Revolving Account, which currently holds a “cushion” of a balance, Marotta said, due to increased food subsidies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The school district receives federal reimbursements for its universal free lunches plus a few extra pennies per plate – a profit that surged with every meal served through quarantine.
By law, these funds are restricted to be reinvested solely into food-related expenses. Past investments have included kitchen remodels, equipment upgrades, and hiring a professional chef. And next, it may mean a four-wheeled feeding station.
The food truck is expected to be co-managed by the city and Whitsons Culinary Group, the district’s subcontracted food service provider. It could also include cafeteria staff members hopping on board as well as Gateway Academy’s culinary students donning the aprons.
There’s a series of stops mapped out for the truck’s crew.
“Mobile Summer Meals” are on the menu, potentially bringing lunch to parks and playgrounds, and extending the program to exactly where children are during warmer weather. The truck could deliver meals to the neediest of neighborhoods during school vacations, snow days, or emergency closures. Marotta also suggested a mobile pantry, supplementing school-based food pantries by driving fresh, healthy options straight to the doors of hungry families.
Another opportunity is a farm-to-table entrepreneurship, built from Gateway Academy’s aspiring chefs. Students would create a business plan, grow food, prepare meals, and operate the truck in real-world conditions.
“Not only would this be a vehicle to get meals to different places, it’s also an opportunity to teach entrepreneurship to those students,” said school committee member Richard Rosa, who made the motion for the RFP. “You could see student volunteers selling food during the football games.”
The truck could food for free during school programs, but could also generate revenue selling to a larger crowd at sports events, school committee members added.
Licensing, health codes, and maintenance will be a big part of the prep work, Marotta said, adding that she’s optimistic the truck could debut sometime in the upcoming school year if the right option rolls in.
The committee approved the superintendent’s plan and the search for a food truck has kicked off. No purchase will be made without further approval.
“I can already see it at the football games, outside of school events, freshmen orientation,” Marotta said. “We can use it for fun as well as learning purposes and to help distribute food to hungry kids.”