Lunch Lizard begins 8th season June 6

Lunch Lizard begins 8th season June 6
Posted on 05/31/2022
lunch lizard parked at lincoln park serving meals to kids

Grand Junction, CO - School District 51’s mobile summer food program, the Lunch Lizard, returns for its eighth summer of service on June 6. The program will run Monday through Thursday each week through July 28, with the exception of a break the week of July 4-7.


Any child 18 or younger can receive free meals from the Lunch Lizard. The stops on the Lunch Lizard route will offer meals in a “grab & go” style. The meals are not required to be consumed on-site.  Either Kids Aid or Food Bank of the Rockies will accompany the Lunch Lizard on Thursdays to offer take-home food for the weekend.


The Lunch Lizard is an innovative way for D51 to reach hungry students who may otherwise not be able to travel to a site outside their neighborhood to get summer meals. There is one route that will serve Grand Junction and Orchard Mesa and a second route that will serve the Clifton area. Route schedule stops and times may change after the first few days of service based on participation. Visit
bit.ly/lunchlizard to see the most up-to-date route stops and times.

 

In addition to having two food trucks that will bring free meals to neighborhoods with the highest rates of low-income families in Mesa County, D51 will also serve meals from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at eight of its schools. Meals will be served Monday through Thursday June 6-30 at Fruitvale, Mesa View, Orchard Avenue, Pear Park, Rocky Mt., and Thunder Mt. elementary schools and Monday through Thursday June 6 through July 28 at East and West middle schools.  At these sites meals will be served indoors in the cafeteria.  

 

About the Lunch Lizard

The Lunch Lizard program serves meals reimbursed through the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program. Meals are free to any child 18 or younger, regardless of free/reduced-price meal eligibility or whether they attend D51 schools during the school year. Over the years, the program has been made possible through the generosity of the Western Colorado Community Foundation, Food Bank of the Rockies, Kids Aid, Rocky Mountain Health Plans, Alpine Bank, Grand Junction Lions Club, Share Our Strength/No Kid Hungry, and students at Colorado Mesa University and Independence Academy. 

 

Complete the Fleet

As part of their ongoing support of the Lunch Lizard program, the Western Colorado Community Foundation is running a Complete the Fleet fundraising campaign to raise $100,000 from the community to help purchase a new food truck for the Lunch Lizard program. To learn more, visit https://wc-cf.org.


This institution is an equal opportunity provider.