Local

Second Harvest Food Bank brings brand new ice cream truck to students

By Kelcey Norris Mahoning Matters

Updated September 10, 2023 5:45 PM

Second Harvest Food Bank and resource officers bring a truck full of sweet treats to students at Blott Guy PK-6 in Liberty. Second Harvest Food Bank

Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley gave away a truck full of sweet treats to students at Blott Guy PK-6 in Liberty, delivered in their new ice cream truck.

Second Harvest is traveling the Mahoning Valley in the new CARE-a-van ice cream truck, working with local law enforcement agencies, resource officers and school districts to share ice cream.

Liberty Police Chief Toby Meloro shared how helpful these giveaways are at fostering relationships between students and authority figures.

“My number one priority is the kids. By being involved in the CARE-a-van kick-off, police officers can enhance relationships with the youth, which builds trust, rapport and bonds with the children,” said Meloro.

The Care-a-Van will visit local schools throughout the school year and partner with law enforcement in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties.

According to Mike Iberis, executive director of Second Harvest, they chose to serve low-sugar ice cream also to encourage healthier eating habits.

“This program is all encompassing,” said Iberis. “Resource officers are very important because they want to make sure kids know they can come to them and we want to get that message out. There are over 25,000 elementary school students in our three counties and we want to go to as many schools as we can to not only stress the importance of the relationship between students and officers, but to also provide healthy treats.”

For more information about Second Harvest Food Bank, call (330) 792-5522, visit the Second Harvest website, or follow their Facebook page.