Sunny and Bright
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
Sunny and Bright
ETHRA’s Sunshine Bus Makes a Splash at Oneida Park
By Shane Gilreath
Scott County is no stranger to benevolence. It continues to be shown all throughout the community, but the East Tennessee Human Resource Agency shines a particular light this summer with their Sunshine Bus, which can be seen daily from 11am – 1pm at Oneida Park during the month of July. It’s principle goal: serving children.
According to Senior Program Director Veronica Stephens, the Sunshine Bus, which provides free meals to children, started as a means to meet the needs of the Summer Food Program, designed to assure that school aged children across the region have wholesome meals during the summer months, taking the place of school lunch and breakfast programs the rest of the year.
“Prior to Covid,” Stephens said, “all Summer Food sites had to be congregate sites and children had to come to an approved site to eat. The obstacle for many children was transportation. There were a lot of children that were unable to participate due to lack of transportation to get to an approved site. The Sunshine Bus was a way to bring a feeding site to the children.”
From that need, the sunny disposition of the Sunshine Bus was born. To bring the vision to life, ETHRA was awarded a grant through Y-12 Federal Credit Union and used the grant money to purchase a retired school bus. Assuring that the project remained a regional undertaking, start to finish, ETHRA partnered with TCAT in Oneida. According to Stephens, the Building Trades Program under the instruction of Daniel Armstrong completed the interior work on the bus, a literal moving restaurant, designed around its name, furnishing an artistic, happy environment, always sunny and ever under blue skies.
“This was a very unique project for the program that did allow for a lot of hands on work for the students,”Stephens told SCN.
The project literally got on wheels during 2024, but Summer 2025 marks the first time the Sunshine Bus has been available to Scott County. Complimentary meals are available to any child ages 2 through 18, who are invited to climb aboard the renovated bus – a tabled restaurant on wheels. Unlike many similar programs, there are no income guidelines, a result of the high percentage of free and reduced school lunch eligibility in area schools. Sunshine Bus meals are designed specifically with children in mind, meeting the nutritional requirements of the USDA Summer Food Program, which funds the project. Each meal includes five components: milk, meat,fruit,vegetable(or second fruit component),and a bread component. Having welcomed SCN aboard, children might be served, for example, a milk,a ham and cheese sandwich carrot sticks, and apple slices.
For families across Scott County, the Sunshine Bus has proven a godsend. For those who witness it, a blessing.
“We’ve had the honor of serving several large families that brought all their children,” Stephens told SCN. “One family had seven children. The mother would come on the bus each day and sit with the children as they had lunch. It was very sweet to see the family enjoy this nice social outing together and enjoy a meal.” Stephens shared with SCN that the mother called the Sunshine Bush a “tremendous help” that allowed the family an opportunity to have an enjoyable, cost-free summer outing with their children and to utilize the park. A win-win for all involved.
“Any child in the community is welcome to join us for lunch on the bus,” Stephens said. “No registration is required. Just show up anytime during the service times and enjoy lunch on our nice air-conditioned bus.”
During the month of July through Friday July 25th, the Sunshine Bus will be serving meals at the Splash Pad at Oneida Park and near the Huntsville Pool from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm.
