Hunger Coalition, Community Library hit the road with Bloom Truck

by Gretel Kauffman

The Hunger Coalition and The Community Library are teaming up this summer for the sixth year in a row to offer free lunches, books and activities for kids throughout Blaine County with their Bloom Truck. The truck will make its rounds through Blaine County Monday through Friday each week, with stops in Carey, Bellevue, Hailey and Ketchum. Kids can stop by to pick up a free lunch, get a book from The Community Library or take part in another activity hosted by a fellow community organization, such as making friendship bracelets with The Advocates. “In its sixth season, Bloom is beloved,” Hunger Coalition spokeswoman Kristin McMahon told the Mountain Express. “Children have been known to flock the truck when it turns the corner in their neighborhood.” The truck will be on the road from June 14 through Aug. 20. The Hunger Coalition and Community Library are asking that all of the truck’s visitors follow COVID-19 safety measures, including mask-wearing and social distancing. A “lite” van version of the truck—a Hunger Coalition van filled with lunches and a box of books to choose from—will also travel to different locations several days a week to broaden the Bloom program’s reach.