Shoyu chicken and Caesar salad are some of the healthy favorites delivered by ¡¯s new food truck to children eligible for free and reduced lunches at six meal sites over the summer. The effort is part of the Department of Education Office of Â鶹´«Ã½ Child Nutrition Program¡¯s summer food services program in partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The and Health Sciences Programs at Kapiʻolani CC received $70,000 from Kaiser Permanente and $50,000 from Walmart Foundation to support the purchase and refurbishment of the college¡¯s “Cooking up a Rainbow” Health and Wellness Food Truck.
Said Daniel Leung, program coordinator in Kapiʻolani CC¡¯s Culinary Arts Department, “We are most grateful to Kaiser Permanente and Walmart and our other key supporters for their generosity. This food truck plays such a key role in providing children with essential nutrition at times when they need it most, and educating our community for a lifetime of healthy eating. Mahalo!”
Kapiʻolani CC is producing the lunches with help from participants in the college¡¯s Go Cook! Â鶹´«Ã½ job training program funded by a U.S. Department of Labor . Go Cook! Â鶹´«Ã½ students helped deliver the lunches they had prepared to keiki at K¨±hi¨ Park Terrace in June.
“It made me feel good to see us helping all these kids,” Kapiʻolani CC student Roselinta Nedelec said. “I just feel awesome. I¡¯m proud of myself that I made the food and I¡¯m here to witness them eating it.”
The healthy lunch recipes are developed by the college¡¯s Culinary Innovation Center with the goal of using food from local farmers. The summer food services are also serving as a pilot production and taste-testing opportunity for a statewide farm-to-school lunch menu development project.
Providing meals and wellness education
Throughout the year, the health and wellness food truck will provide preventive health education and screening in a range of community settings to children and families in low-income and outlying communities.
“Good nutrition is a fundamental building block of a healthy lifestyle,” said Dave Underriner, president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, Â鶹´«Ã½ Region. “It¡¯s our pleasure to support KCC¡¯s innovative work in providing meals to those in need because it will help our keiki, our kupuna and our community thrive.”
As a “mobile, hands-on classroom,” the truck will also transport chef instructors, ingredients and portable cooking equipment to conduct hands-on healthy eating and healthy cooking workshops organized by non-profit partner agencies and community health clinics.
Said Lance McAlister, Â鶹´«Ã½ market manager for Walmart, “We feel it¡¯s important to give back to the island communities we serve. On behalf of our more than 4,000 Walmart associates in Â鶹´«Ã½, we¡¯re proud to support this valuable social service outreach program.”
at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ Foundation Flickr.
Piilani Akina, Parents & Children Together President and CEO Ryan Kusumoto, Walmart Â鶹´«Ã½ Market Manager Lance McAlister, Kapiʻolani CC Chancellor Louise Pagotto, Kaiser Permanente Â鶹´«Ã½ President Dave Underriner, Kapiʻolani CC students Re-Re Nedelec, Roselinta Nedelec and Jensyn Mison