Mobile Meals and Nutrition on Wheels for Low-Income Children in Mountain View

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

San Jose – The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors today voted unanimously to approve Board President Joe Simitian’s proposal to fund a food truck for the Mountain View Whisman School District.  

Simitian says he calls the program “mobile meals” and “nutrition on wheels” because “it’s more than just a food truck; it’s a way to address a community-wide problem.”

The program will improve access to services – primarily nutritious meals, but also County and non-profit led safety net services – for lower-income children and families in the Mountain View Whisman School District. The truck will deliver meals children in parks, libraries, and other places around the community.  The district has previously operated the program in these different community places without a truck. 

“It has been well documented that providing children with access to nutritious food beyond the school year and into the summer months has clear health, education and economic benefits,” said Cindy McCown, Vice President of Community Engagement and Policy at Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. “These programs help ensure food security, and have a lasting impact on children’s’ lives.” 

“I want us to bring the help where the need is, and that’s out in the community,” said Simitian. “That way we can meet a demonstrated need more efficiently and more widely, and overcome the obstacles that often prevent families from receiving the services they need,” said Simitian.  

The Board voted to authorize payment to Mountain View Whisman School District in the amount of:​

• $221,348 in FY18/19;
• $61,373 in FY19/20; and,
• $61,373 in FY 20/21 

relating to expanding the mobile nutrition program for Mountain View residents.  Funds will go to the truck purchase, vehicle maintenance, insurance, driver and site monitor salaries. 

“Mountain View is a prosperous city, but also a place with significant pockets of need,” said Simitian. “Sometimes there’s a misperception of community-wide affluence that makes it difficult for folks in need to access services.”

The County already partners with Mountain View Whisman School District to provide a range of services through a program called School Linked Services. It also partners with the Community Services Agency of Mountain View and Los Altos to provide innovative programs that reach families in need where they are – whether that be in a local shelter, an RV or car, or an apartment building. 

At half of the schools in the Mountain View Whisman School District more than 40% of students are eligible to receive free and reduced meals, but students still struggle to access food outside of school hours, and school staff observe that some families are reluctant to sign up for reduced price meal programs.

Last summer, the District partnered with Second Harvest Food Bank to expand their normal summer school food program to pilot a summer food program at local parks and the local library. Over the course of the summer, they served 60,467 meals to children in Mountain View.  “I remember thinking, ‘That’s extraordinary, but can we do even more?’ And the answer is, ‘yes.’ With a little innovation we can handle the problem even more effectively.”

The mobile food program is available to anyone, which removes some of the stigma or fear around “signing up.” The district focused on locations known to be accessible to lower-income residents. Adults can also pay for meals, and 800 adult Mountain View residents took advantage of that opportunity last summer.

This summer, with help from the County, the District will now be investing in a food truck – a practice proven effective by other school districts – with the hope of serving 100,000 meals over the summer and 450,000 meals during the school year. The food truck will expand on the success of the summer food program last year, and will allow the district to engage more families living in cars and vehicles, and other low-income families, with accessible nutritious meals outside of normal school hours and sites.  “This is a simple but innovative way to bring nutritious meals out into the community,” said Simitian.  

By partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank and the Community Services Agency of Mountain View and Los Altos, the mobile food program aims to be a gateway for families to connect with other community services, from the convenience of their own neighborhoods. 

The District is leveraging its own funds, along with state and federal nutrition dollars, to finance the majority of the program costs – which will amount to $540,398 in the first year and $440,898 in subsequent years – but a County partnership will help fill the funding gap, especially in acquiring the vehicle from which to serve meals. County departments and non-profit partners will work with the district to leverage the outreach done with the mobile food program to increase sign-ups for CalFresh and Medi-Cal, and connect residents with supportive housing and safety net programs. 

“It’s all about partnerships,” said Simitian. “This is another reminder that we can accomplish so much more when we partner with others.  If each and all of us takes a piece of the problem, we really can get things done.”

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