Remembering Our Own School Lunch Heroes

School Lunch Hero Day is celebrated on the first Friday of May, but at PrimeroEdge we recognize and appreciate the hard work of school nutrition professionals every day. To honor the industry that continuously inspires us, a few employees reflected on their school meal memories and the school lunch heroes who made it all possible.

Doing It for the Students

DeWayne, Manager of Customer Success

“My grandmother was a supervisor at Aldine ISD and invited me to work in one of her kitchens. The work ethic of the women in that generation was moving. From the food service director to the person in the dishroom, their time and energy was centered around serving the children. It was evident they were there for the kids and anything they could do to make sure students were well taken care of – they did it. I’d never seen a group of people come together and work so diligently as I did when I was 18-years-old and worked in that cafeteria. They were the epitome of teamwork. Even when they were short staffed they could make magic happen, make the impossible happen! There was care and pride behind every single thing they did.

I still see that now in my customers. I graduated from Spring High School in 1999 and back then Sandra (Sandy) Campbell was the Cafeteria Manager. She worked tirelessly to make sure their cafeteria ran like a fine oiled machine to serve 3,000 students. She was present and on the front lines, as if she were 15 places at once making sure our eight to 10 serving lines ran smoothly, without error every day. The food was wonderful, everything was in clean condition, meals were presented beautifully, and there were many meal options. It was all possible because she had the kids’ best interests at heart. Now, she is the Operations Coordinator for Spring ISD and a PrimeroEdge customer. It’s wonderful that almost 30 years later it has come full circle from working together in school food service operations to working together in a new capacity.”

A Touch of Grandmotherly Love

Tesla, Marketing Specialist

“My grandma spent most of her life preparing meals from scratch and serving them to students in a small San Antonio school. She had so much pride in her work because she knew how important her work was, and how important the students were. She loved to talk about days when students complimented the school food and couldn’t get enough. While I didn’t get to attend that school before she retired, I knew that if the school meals were even half as good as her home-cooked meals, they had to be enjoying some of the best food in Texas.”

Lifting Up Our Teammates

Lauren, Solution Expert

“Some of the high schools in Virginia Beach allowed the special needs students to come in and help in the kitchen with their teacher and aide. One of the cafeteria managers really went out of her way to make them feel like part of the team. She gave them their own jobs and personally trained them. Even when she was short staffed, she went above and beyond to make the kids feel appreciated in her kitchen. Here is a picture of one of the students being presented with an apron. She brought in donuts and had a party for his last day. The joy on his face made me cry. It’s a cherished memory I look back on to remember how simple actions can have such an impact in an industry as caring as ours.”

We’ve Got Spirit, Yes We Do! 

Alessandra, State Marketing Lead and RFP Specialist

“In elementary school, going to the cafeteria was one of my favorite parts of the day. I usually ate breakfast and lunch at my school, knowing I’d be in store for something good. I always enjoyed the variety that was offered, and how nice the cafeteria staff was. It was such a warm experience overall. My favorite thing was how the cafeteria staff would name our lunch items in theme with our school mascot. We were the Comets, so our lunch items would be called things like ‘Galaxy Pizza’, ‘Rocket Bread Sticks’, and so on. It was very fun.”

If you haven’t, take some time to think back on all the good food and fun memories you or your friends and loved ones had in school, in your profession, or in life that were fueled by the power of America’s many amazing School Lunch Heroes! To learn more about School Lunch Hero Day, click here.