As I said just yesterday, I’m a big fan of converted buses. We are all about breathing life into a bus that has been prematurely written off, and all of the repurposed buses out there show that many retired buses have plenty of life left in them. But, normally the buses have to be retired and sold off before they have any chance of being repurposed and restored.
The great majority of repurposed buses are individual projects with some purpose. Some people simply dream of throwing off the shackles tying them to where they are without leaving the comfort of a place to call home behind. Others devote their project to charitable endeavors. But, they are all the work of a single individual or small group.
But, Manatee County School District decided they didn’t need to retire or sell one of their old buses to see it converted into something new. The school district is using a school bus that previously ran in their fleet to bring meals to low-income students during the summer.
The children affectionately call the vehicle the “food bus”, and according to WTSP the bus stops in three neighborhoods Monday through Friday and feeds at least 100 children each day. The bus is wrapped with bright and jubilant pictures of children enjoying food from each of the four food groups. The bus even offers a lunch roof and menu that is specifically designed to include a different balanced meal each day.
The program will continue to run through early August and is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
