Today Show Features Lunch Lady
A wonderful client of ours (Hi, Alicia!) sent a link to a fantastic story on the Today Show website. The article shared the story of Sarah Fiacco, a mom of four who, after having moved from Virginia to Alabama when her husband was transferred by the Air Force, began working at her kids’ school cafeteria.
Screen grab of story on the Today show website: today.com
Sarah was unsure about the job at first, even asking herself if it was the right move. Then something happened that shifted her thinking. Olivia, a 6-year-old student, handed Sarah a note when going through the line. The note said simply, “Thank you! For the lunch. From Olivia.”
In a Facebook post to a group Sarah wrote in part, “I’m here to say in less than two weeks, I already have a deeper sense of satisfaction than I’ve ever had." Sarah taped the note on her bathroom mirror as a daily reminder of the impact that she could have on her job.
Sarah’s Facebook post generated lots of feedback, including testimonials of the impact that other “lunch ladies” had had on people’s lives. One person posted, "The most beloved person in the high school where I teach is ‘lunch lady Barb,’ who knows kids personally by name and participates in all our pep assemblies! She recently retired and the senior students chose her as the person they wanted to read their names at graduation — so she did."
The Opportunity: Every Student, Every Day
One thing that we stress with anyone we encounter in the school nutrition space is this: School nutrition staff are some of the only people with the potential to engage with every student every day. The job is far more than preparing and serving tasty, nutritious meals. It can create life-changing connections.
A smile, a quick question of, “How’s your day going?” or an encouraging word can shift the entire tone of someone’s day, and it often does. School cafes are places that are free of the pressures and expectations of classrooms, and present students with valuable time to decompress and connect with others.
When I ask school nutrition professionals what they wish everyone knew about what they did, one of the points is often expressed as “I wish people saw how much our team cares. I wish people knew that everyone on our team loves serving our students.”
Celebrate & Encourage Your Team
Days are hectic - we know that. But taking even a minute to celebrate your team and encourage everyone about the importance and impact of the work can pay huge dividends.
And while many school meal heroes don’t seek the spotlight, a well-placed cheer, a round of applause from the team, or even asking the school’s principal or office manager to give a shout-out to a team member can be meaningful in recognizing the vital work of school nutrition teams.
Do you have someone on your team that you’d like to celebrate? Do it today - and feel free to send us info on them and we’ll share it on our social media and in a future newsletter. Just email a short description and a photo to: info@dunktankmarketing.com
Thank you for all you do!
