Munch Machine: New Billings summer program is a hit with hungry kids [Video]

BILLINGS — Billings Education Foundation’s new summer food program on wheels to combat food insecurity, the Munch Machine, began last week and helped to feed over 250 children in the community, and will continue to see numbers grow. The program is a van that delivers meals and snacks to families in need.

In School District 2, over 1,000 students benefit from meal programs and pantries for school lunches. But when the summer starts, these programs are not available. This is an issue the foundation realized and wanted to create a solution.

“The mobile food program, or the Munch Machine, has been a dream and vision of the foundation for several years after continuously getting asked the question of, ‘What happens to these students that are on our backpack meals programs during the summer months?’ and we didn’t have a great answer for them,” said Shelley Pierce, the foundation’s development and …