LOWELL — The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell has launched a new program that aims at putting food insecurity among Lowell’s youth in the rearview mirror.
The program, Club Love on Wheels, includes a new food truck, operated by club teens and staff, that will bring free, nutritious meals right to kids and teens in their neighborhoods throughout Lowell.
“We want the community to know about the amazing food we have going on at the club, and rather than having the kids come to get a meal here, we’re bringing the food to them,” Club Deputy Executive Director JuanCarlos Rivera said while standing next to the truck as it sat outside the club on Middlesex Street on Friday.
Club Love on Wheels was funded by the Community Development Block Grant program through the Greater Lowell Community Foundation with the goal to fight food insecurity. The funds were used to purchase the truck, outfit it for serving food, and to get it ready for the road.
Joe Hungler, the club’s executive director, said the cost was approximately $115,000.
GLCF and City Manager Tom Golden collaborated to get the funds. Golden and GLCF President and CEO Jay Linnehan were among those at the club on Friday checking out the new wheels.
“Food insecurity is horrific, and it’s getting worse,” Linnehan said. “This is a great piece of equipment to address that in our community.”
The program goes beyond just the food truck, also serving as part of a culinary workforce development project to introduce teens to different career opportunities. As part of that goal, Rivera pointed out club teens will go out on food runs with the staff to learn the ins and outs of operating a food truck.
Nutrition Coordinator Sarah Taylor will be behind the wheel, driving the truck to the various locations throughout the city each weekday. During the treks, there will be other youth development staff who will work to build relationships with kids and their families, and invite them to join the club.
Nutrition Manager Sally Thayer said she will be handling the menu. Thayer has worked in the club’s kitchen for about 11 years. She pointed out that she has worked in lots of kitchens in her day, but this is the first kitchen inside a truck.
“If it’s too hot in the kitchen, you shouldn’t work in the kitchen,” Thayer said while showing off the inside of the sparkling new vehicle.
“It’s fulfilling to know you’re feeding a kid that might not get a good meal,” she added. “That’s my goal to make sure kids go home with a full stomach. And they do.”
Club Love on Wheels will travel to a different park in Lowell each afternoon, Mondays to Fridays, weather dependent. The menu, locations and times the truck will be around will be posted on the Club Love on Wheels social media accounts.
For more information, visit lbgc.org.
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