Today is School Lunch Hero Day, a celebration of the hard-working people who prepare healthy meals for students every day. BVSD’s 180 Food Service employees have always been an essential part of the school district’s success, but this public health crisis has made it more clear than ever the value of the work they do. With schools closed, Food Service staff have become frontline heroes. As essential employees, they have served more than 167,000 meals through the district’s emergency feeding program.
During a typical school year, BVSD’s Food Service employees nourish and support the students in their schools, learning names, birthdays and favorite hobbies. They are a smiling face that students can count on every day, and the meals they serve are essential to a child’s ability to thrive in the classroom.
With schools closed, the Food Services department is still serving students and families to ensure that they have access to nutritious meals during this public health crisis and beyond. Today we honor all the school food heroes who dedicate their days to serving our students. Below are stories from just a few of the staff who are working on the front lines to distribute meals to families during school closures.
If you’d like to share a note of gratitude with our Food Service employees, please email it to Mary.Rochelle@bvsd.org and she will pass it along to the BVSD Food Service employees.
Dee Lowrance, 9 years with BVSD, Food Service Assistant at Birch Elementary School
“At first, I started this job because I could have the summers off. The longer I've worked here though, the more I’ve gotten to know the kids. I've gotten to watch preschoolers become 5th graders. I have to speak to every person I serve, and I want them to know they're not just a number. I make eye contact and say hello. If they're upset I'll stop serving and give them a hug. I'll dig through trash cans to find someone’s missing lego man. I'm a grandma and it feels like they are all my grandkids--I love getting to watch them grow up. Since the schools closed, I thank God every day that I was offered the chance to do this work. This is what I groove on. When I go to distribute and give bags out to families, that's what this is all about. Families with six kids have come through and said, ‘Thank you so much, this is absolutely getting us through.’ That is why we’re doing it. They need the food and we're there for them.”
Dignora Sanchez, 3 years with BVSD, Kitchen Satellite Lead at Casey Middle School
“I love everything about my job. I’ve always looked for a position like this that makes a difference in the world. At Casey, I enjoy having warm and healthy food ready for the kids and spending time with them. Now, I love going to the emergency feeding sites because people are so grateful for the bags, all you get is smiles and thank you’s.”
Rachel Reed Sanow KSL, 6 months with BVSD, Kitchen Satellite Lead at Community Montessori
“I'm proud of all the food that we serve and I love telling the kids about where their food comes from and when it was grown by a local farmer. I have the opportunity to help students try new things which can change their palate as they grow. I have one little girl who now loves butternut squash. And one little boy is so in love with the green pea guacamole he requested it on his birthday. Since the school closures, I miss seeing the kids, but I'm happy to be a part of this because I know how important it is for kids to have nutritious meals at home. And sometimes I still get to see them in their cars and they'll wave and show me their barbies.”
Sarah Acker, 18 years with BVSD, Food Services Hiring and Training Manager
“I started as a lunch lady at Douglass Elementary, moved to Monarch High as a supervisor, then into a district manager role. I've gotten to work with everyone in this department and I love all the people who have come on board over the years. The people that work for BVSD Food Services care about their kids. Our employees see every student in the building every day and they want to see them happy. We call each of them by name and we look out for the kids who are having a bum day. When they start crying we'll do anything in our power to make things right. I am thrilled to get to work very closely with our staff (during the school closures) to be the best that we can be to serve our program. When we do that, then we all thrive.”
Silas Goldstein, 4 years with BVSD, Food Services Driver
“My kids go to BVSD schools and I’m a firm believer that kids need to eat well to learn their best-- I'm proud to be part of a team that does that. During the school closures, it’s very rewarding to be giving the community food that they need. We see a lot of people every day who very grateful for it, so that helps a lot.”
Brian DeWitt, 3 years with BVSD, Production Kitchen Sous Chef
“I love what we do here, providing nutritious food for students. We try to point them in the right direction in their personal lives to make good food choices. It's hard to explain nutrition to a 3rd grader, but I hope that what we provide are good examples that they can carry with them into the future. With schools closed, it's been meaningful to provide for families that need it. We have employees from all different schools who have banded together as one team and are working together as one for the greater good of the community.”
Kate Brown, Founder, Boulder Organic Foods. Kate’s not a BVSD employee but she’s a School Food Hero in our books--her company has donated nearly 3,000 gallons of fresh, wholesome, organic soup to our emergency food program.
“When I joined the board of a local food bank, I learned a lot about food insecurity, especially in families with school-aged children. A lot of people think that if you live in Boulder County you’re kind of immune to poverty and hunger, but that’s just not true. When we heard that kids weren’t going to have access to hot lunch anymore, we knew we had to step in. It's long been a part of our mission to make healthy, nutritious, and delicious meals for everyone. Not just people who have disposable income, but it should be available to everybody.”