May 29—As summer vacation begins, the Lebanon Special School District is preparing to kick off its summer book bus and summer feeding programs.

“We know that hunger doesn’t stop in the summer,” LSSD Family Resource Director Beth Petty said. “It accelerates because our kids aren’t eating our free and reduced lunch.”

This will be the ninth year that the Lebanon Special School District Child Nutrition Program and the Family Resource Center have partnered to put on the summer feeding bus program.

Two buses will be visiting sites around Lebanon from June 3 through July 19 on weekdays. Buses will not run July 4-5.

The Neon Bus will make stops at Upton Heights (11-11:20 a.m.), Inman Court (11:30-11:50 a.m.), the Ironwood Apartments (12-12:20 p.m.) and Limestone Trail (12:40-1 p.m.) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It will visit Head Homes (11-11:15 a.m.), a to-be-determined location (11:25-11:45 a.m.), Peyton Park (11:55 a.m.-12:15 p.m.), Tater Peeler Roat (12:30-12:40 p.m.), and Weatherly Estates (12:55-1:10 p.m.) on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The Neon Remix bus will visit Don Fox Park Mondays-Fridays from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, it will also visit the Greentree Pointe Apartments (12:45-1:15 p.m.) and the Rollingwood Apartments (1:25-1:40 p.m.). On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Neon Remix Bus will visit the Villages of Hunters Point (12:45-1:15 p.m.) and The Ridge (1:25-1:40 p.m.).

“There are no income restrictions, no questions asked,” Petty said. “If you’re 18-and-under, we would love for you to come and eat with us.”

The program provides food to anyone 18 and under for free. Last year, the program provided 11,845 breakfasts, 2,721 snacks and 16,167 lunches.

“We primarily have the same cafeteria staff that feeds (kids) every summer, so they develop a relationship with kids,” LSSD Child Nutrition Supervisor Angie Ballard said. “They know the kids. They develop that rapport with them. It’s neat to watch when you’re out there.”

At the sites the buses visit on Mondays and Wednesdays, kids can take home an extra breakfast and lunch. At sites visited on Thursdays and Fridays, kids can take home additional meals for the weekend.

In addition to summer feeding, the Neon Remix Bus also offers free books to kids who visit it.

“As we have expanded to include summer feeding and reading, it has become an amazing time for families to connect (with) the schools, stay connected with the schools and have the ability for them to participate in family engagement.”

The summer reading bus program — the Neon Remix Bus has also partnered with the district’s after school program. In February, the district hosted a young author and illustrator’s conference where student’s got materials to write their own books.

“This year we will start with about 40 student-created books on board our summer feeding and reading program in the young author’s corner,” Petty said.

When a student is pursuing the free books on the Neon Remix Bus, they’ll find traditionally published and student-written books to choose from.

“I think the kids that get a student book to take home and keep to build their home library are going to be excited because they may see the name of a student they know,” Petty said.

When the district purchases books for the Neon Remix Bus, school librarians share which titles are most popular with their students. The district gets funding for the program from sources like Kiwanis Clubs, Rotary Clubs, and the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation.

Students from the district’s middle schools will be helping stock the bus and going out into the community as a part of Tennessee First Lady Maria Lee’s Tennessee Kids Serve Summer Challenge.