Village Elementary had just let out and there was already a line of in front of the Kona Ice truck parked in front of the BBMAC (Brian Bent Memorial Aquatics Complex). Clasping a cup of shaved ice, each child made their way to the Flavorwave® to drench their ice with syrup. Wave flavors included lemon-lime–a-licious, wild watermelon, orange sunshine and pina colada. Some kids created their own, by mixing two, three, even four flavors, creating a rainbow over their ice.
Not long after the kids arrived, the Kona Penguin made an appearance. He danced to the calypso rhythms booming out of the brightly decorated ice-cream style truck. A few came up to give the company’s mascot a hug or pose for mom or dad to take a photo.
This after-school party takes place on the third Friday of every month. The first Friday of the month the truck is at Silver Strand Elementary. With summer creeping into fall this year, the shaved ice cones proved to be a huge success. “We serve about 100 kids at Silver Stand and 400 at BBMAC,” said Shaun Ornelas, local Kona Ice franchisee.
A small cup of shaved ice costs $4, a medium $5 and a large $6. Twenty percent of the proceeds go to support CUSD’s Child Nutrition Program. In just three months the program has raised nearly $1,500 for the program, Ornelas said.
The extra money “allows us to offer better food items to our students,” said Charity Johnson, head of the Child Nutrition Program for Coronado schools. Because incomes are high here, the school doesn’t receive the federal funding it needs to serve students good quality food without phosphate, fillers or by-products. Even so, “we only serve 100% beef hamburgers on whole-wheat buns and our hot dogs come from Kelly Eisenberg in Chicago,” Johnson said. The company has been selling all natural deli products since 1929.
Kona shaved ice too is devoid of harmful chemicals. Fruit is the syrup’s first ingredient, the sugar content is low (6 grams per ounce) and it has been rated as a smart snack by the U.S.D.A. It also meets the Coronado school district’s Wellness Policy.
Johnson suggested having the truck come to Coronado schools last summer after seeing how successful it was at her daughter’s school in Chula Vista. The CUSD Governing Board agreed and the program was launched at the beginning of the school year.
Coronado and Chula Vista schools are the only ones who are benefiting from Kona Ice. Founded in 2007, the Kentucky-based company has raised over $40 million through its giveback program according to its spokesperson Lizzie Baunach. There are more than 800 franchise units across the country and a total of 10 in San Diego.
“The Giving Back program is one of the reasons franchisees are drawn to Kona Ice,”
Baurnach said. It was the reason for Ornelas.
For the holidays he is using the stops at Coronado schools to help veterans. This month and next, students are being asked to bring a nonperishable food item. When they do, they receive a dollar off each cup of ice.
Raising money to help out veterans was “a no brainer,” Ornelas said. His uncle is a veteran and Ornelas spent seven years with the Navy’s Marine Mammal Program as a part-time trainer, while working full time in Sea World’s marine mammal rescue program.
He still works at Sea World, but calls Kona Ice his “dream job.” “I love kids and Kona Ice is all about kids,” he said.
He bought his franchise two years ago, but this year “we went full steam,” he said.
Besides the Giveback events for South Bay schools, Ornelas has taken his shaved ice party to over 100 events this past year, including music and movie festivals staged in public parks. He’s also available for private functions such as block, beach or birthday parties.
