Not everyone can safely or easily access the reduced and free lunch program meals for Pittsburgh Public Schools children. That’s where three nonprofits stepped in Friday morning.
412 Food Rescue, A+Schools and the Latino Community Center tried out a pilot “Bus Stop Problem” initiative at lunchtime. Realizing that some students could not travel to their schools for meals, the three groups brought food to six school bus stops throughout the city.
“The idea came, really, when schools were called off [on March 13], and as an organization that addresses food insecurity, we realize that when that happened it was like any day, a snow day, or a holiday or the summer months, when you wonder how will kids who rely on school meals react if they are not going to school,” said Leah Lizarondo, CEO of 412 Food Rescue.
The project received a funding assist from Michael Keaton, an Oscar-nominated actor who grew up in Kennedy Township, through a mutual contact.
Lizarondo added that this is not a novel idea; it’s achieved in other parts of the country and the region. But if the local pilot is a success, the nonprofits are hoping it could be applied to other districts, including Duquesne.
“Of course, we are grateful the Pittsburgh Public Schools are making lunch available at the schools, but I think the obvious thing that many [were] thinking is: how are kids getting to school?”
Mobility, access to transit and lack of time are issues packaged around food insecurity, Lizarondo said. “So we tried to make sure the services we provide address those related problems.”
The transport solution Friday was a very special kind of bus. The meals were distributed via Allison Butka and partner Joyce Swope’s PriZilla the Print Bus.
Purchased last year as a possible mobile print shop, the 30-foot bus was put into gear for 412 Food Rescue, which salvages edible food from restaurants, groceries and dining facilities to distribute to those in need elsewhere.
“We figured that we had a massive carrying capacity, easy-to-clean surfaces and the ability to load and unload at a safe distance,” Butka said.
Rosamaria Cristello, executive director of the Latino Community Center learned a child in her community had to walk almost an hour round trip to get to the nearest school for lunch pick-up.
“This is not realistic for many families,” she said in a press statement. “I wanted to find a solution to help bring food closer to them.”
A+ Schools alerted the families of school-age children who live near the selected stops via robocalls. Five hundred meals were to be distributed beginning at 11 a.m. For now, the pilot program is just that, a run-through to see how it works.
Local restaurants Bar Botanico, The Vandal and DiAnoia’s Eatery prepared the meals.
Observing social distancing, volunteers from the Latino Community Center staffed the bus stops to over distribution of meals. In addition, A+ Schools handed out Pittsburgh Public Schools and Common Core-aligned learning packets to the students.
“This is a problem with many moving parts, but if successful, this effort would make such a difference to children who have mobility limitations,” said James Fogarty, A+ Schools executive director in a statement.
It’s worth a try, said Lizarondo.
“Sometimes, the biggest innovation is not the idea but it’s getting around bureaucracy … the difficulty is the bureaucratic process of taking what already exists [in resources] and implementing it in a different way.”
Maria Sciullo: msciullo@post-gazette.com or @MariaSciulloPG.
