A food truck became the new cafeteria option in the San Lorenzo Unified School District. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the mobile kitchen took place Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, at Colonial Acres Elementary School in Hayward.
Seats were set up for the audience during the event and a 4th grade class sat in front of the food truck. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, students lined up in front of the truck’s serving window to receive their lunch that day. Students ate macaroni and cheese, a fruit cup and a snack.
The truck arrived in July and has been used once during a school board meeting to serve trustees. Thursday was the first time the mobile kitchen served food to students.
Peter Oshinski, child nutrition director of San Lorenzo Unified School District (SLZUSD), said this a new experience for many of their students. “It’s been my dream to purchase a food trailer for a very long time,” said Oshinski. “The district strives to provide equitable services and I thought it would be a great experience for students to have access to a service they may not otherwise have.”
Students from the 4th grade class shared their thoughts about the food truck. One said she feels “nice and happy” about receiving food from the truck. Another student said she thinks the food truck is “so cool.”
Oshinski said the effort to get a food truck for the district started last summer. SLZUSD is the only school district in Alameda County to own a mobile kitchen.
Scott Faust, SLZUSD communications director, said the school district purchased the 13-foot mobile food truck for $73,000 using the district’s COVID recovery funds. The district received funding from the state’s kitchen infrastructure and training funds.
The truck is a mobile kitchen trailer on wheels without an engine. The school district plans to transport the trailer using a truck. Oshinski said the mobile kitchen includes two refrigerators, two warmers, a six-burner stove and a handwashing sink.
Oshinski said the food truck is planned to make at least two visits to all 16 school district sites this school year. The school district consists of 8,000 students and serves students who live in San Lorenzo, parts of Hayward, San Leandro and Castro Valley.
It will also be used for emergencies and community events to serve food throughout the school district. Oshinski said the mobile kitchen can be plugged in to run on a self-contained generator.
Superintendent Daryl Camp and three other SLZUSD school members attended the event.
School board member Penny Peck said during the event the child nutrition team cooks and serves more than 7,500 meals every school day. “That’s not only amazing all by itself, but in a school district where 70% of our students come from socioeconomically disadvantaged families,” said Peck, “we know it’s absolutely essential and truly life changing.”
