PHOENIX — Children waited patiently at the bus stop, seeking shelter from the heat under a paloverde tree. A big yellow school bus slowly drove up the county street, stopped at the corner and opened its doors.
The students filed into the back of the air-conditioned bus and sat down.
But instead of driving to the next stop, Litchfield Elementary School District volunteers opened big blue coolers and passed out sack lunches filled with chocolate milk, kiwi, carrots and a corn dog.
"Sometimes we don't get lunch," said Guadalupe Cisneros, 11, as she watched her 3-year-old brother nibble at his corn dog. "This is nice 'cause then we're not hungry after the bus (leaves)."
Litchfield, a 10,000-student district in the southwest Valley, serves about 3,000 meals per day, and of those about 150 are served from the bus. The meals are part of the Summer Food Service Program, which offers free meals for those 18 and younger.
Arizona's summer food program served 3.22 million meals last year, equaling $4.24 million in reimbursements, said Mary Szafranski, deputy associate superintendent for the state Education Department's Health and Nutrition Services. All meals must meet federal nutrition guidelines.
Szafranski said participation in the summer meal program is rising, and she attributes most of that to increased marketing.
"I think the economy is part of it for sure," she said. "But summer food is a very underutilized program. Our goal is to always increase the outreach and bring in more children."
Traditionally, the summer meal program is offered in school cafeterias and community centers. But as school budgets are squeezed tighter, some districts like Casa Grande Elementary School District and Tucson Unified shut down campuses during the summer, limiting feeding locations.
The districts partnered with local non-profits to meet the increasing demand for food. Casa Grande tried offering meals at parks, but participation was slim because of the heat. Field supervisor Stella Gates suggested using school bus routes and air-conditioned buses to help provide breakfast and lunch to students during the summer.
Casa Grande, about 50 miles southeast of Phoenix, is a 7,000-student district.
"Homes are so far apart, and we were already delivering to remote sites in trucks and vans," Gates said. "The idea just popped in my head one day because it was so awkward and hot at the sites."
Since the bus program began in 2007, Casa Grande has served 43,844 meals. The program serves about a third of the district's total summer meals, and this year participation increased, said food service director Germaine Shephard. She attributes the rise to the economy and increased marketing.
The Arizona Department of Education, which administers the federal money that pays for the meals, noticed Casa Grande's success and asked administrators to speak about the mobile meal program at the Summer Food Service Program kickoff in April.
Inspired by Casa Grande's results, Litchfield started the bus program in May, said food service director David Schwake. The southwest Valley district chose a Barbara B. Robey Elementary School bus route because 70 percent of its 800 students qualify for free and reduced-price lunch and it's miles from the nearest summer feeding site, he said.
"I do a lot of work with St. Mary's Food Bank, so I know the hunger demand is increasing," Schwake said. "With the price of gas, we put two and two together that their parents might be struggling. So we targeted that area and those students."
The state reimburses sponsoring organizations $1.71 to $2.98 per meal depending on whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner. The organizations use the money to pay for food, staff and other administrative costs.
Litchfield served more than 92,000 summer meals last year and was reimbursed about $253,500, district officials said.
"Our goal is to at least break even. So far we've been able to do that," Schwake said. "I believe (the mobile bus program) is a viable option . . . for several districts, especially those who only have a couple feeding sites."
Szafranski said Litchfield and Casa Grande are the only districts in Arizona serving summer meals on school buses.
Parents say the program is a much-needed lifeline.
Abel Rivera said he waits daily for the bus with his two children outside an apartment complex near Luke Air Force Base. Litchfield's bus runs during the lunch hour Monday through Friday.
"Money is really tight right now and this program is so helpful," he said. "With food stamps, we barely get enough food for the four of us. Without this, the kids would probably not get a full lunch."
Rivera said his disabled son has diet requirements and appreciates the healthy fruits and vegetables.
Single mom Ariana Ceballos, 19, who lives on the bus route north of Litchfield Park, echoed the sentiment.
"It's a big help for my kid who doesn't get much milk," she said while holding a chocolate-milk carton as her 2-year-old son drank from the straw. "The bus is really our only option because I don't have a car."
Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com