Photos courtesy of Westerville Area Resource Ministry
It doesn’t have bright product pictures or a tinny, repetitive jingle, but the Westerville Area Resource Ministry’s equivalent of an ice cream truck is still a welcome visitor to neighborhoods.
Two years ago, WARM bought and refurbished an old school bus to use as a produce delivery vehicle. The organization worked with Westerville City Schools, the Westerville Sunrise Rotary Club and the Blue Bird Bus Corporation to convert the bus for its new mission.
“We were inspired by the idea of making our services mobile so we could take it to at-risk locations,” says WARM Executive Director Scott Marier. “We wanted to be able to make produce and other services available to senior centers and other neighborhoods with people who might not be able to travel to our central location.”
WARM serves the 52,000-square-mile boundaries of the school district, within which roughly 88,000 people reside. Its services are available to individuals at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.
The bus mainly serves to quickly provide produce to those in the community who need it. It also plays a central role in the Kids Lunch Club, a free program that provides children 18 and under with healthful meals and enrichment activities throughout the summer when school is not in session. The 2015 statistics show that 36 percent of Westerville students are on the school district’s free and reduced-price lunch program – 5,111 of the total 14,900 students – demonstrating the need for the club when school lunch is not an option.
“We are only limited by our imagination for what this program can accomplish,” says Marier.
WARM refurbished the bus, removing all but six of the seats to store produce. The remaining space includes media to play educational videos and modules, and there are also seats available for adults who need help refining their resumes or applying for jobs.
This year, the bus will be making a few more additions, including a canopy and a generator.
“We’re taking WARM to the streets, empowering neighbors to be WARM,” says Cheryl Wooten, director of development and communications for WARM. “(We’re looking) to give a hand up to those around the neighborhood.”
In the summer, the bus is used five days a week; the rest of the year, it is scheduled on demand and used when able. The bus also makes appearances at the Independence Day parade and the Great Westerville Food Truck Fest.
“We hope to be able to use it all year round, because when there is bad weather, there is is often also a lot of need,” says Wooten.
WARM clients have to demonstrate their eligibility and proof of residency. The organization has incorporated Pantry Track, an electronic sign-in process that cross-checks among food pantries in Ohio to ensure there is a fair system in place to provide people the appropriate level of food and resources.
“The bus is the WARM mobile ambassador,” says Wooten. “Anything we do, we want to take to the streets. Our goal is for people to come to WARM on a regular basis.”
The bus can be the starting point for some to become clients, and it reaches many children through the Kids Lunch Club. It is primarily operated by student and adult volunteers overseen by WARM staff.
“Anyone can volunteer, and we are always happy to have the support,” says Wooten.
Forty-five percent of the resources provided to clients are from community donations, and 55 percent is bought and provided by WARM itself. The WARM food pantry provides assistance to 500 families a month. The bus is mostly used for fresh produce, given away on site.
“The bus is farm-to-table, getting the fresh produce into the hands of recipients quicker,” says Wooten.
Gabrielle Benton is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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