GCSC food service department is 158,122 meals proud

Always unsung heroes of the public education world, the food service workers, or “The Lunch Ladies,” took on a new role during the pandemic, with the crew at Greencastle Community Schools serving 158,122 meals even as the physical school buildings were closed.

Courtesy photo

School lunch ladies have for many years been just that: “The Lunch Ladies.”

During the school year, this group of ladies feeds the children of Greencastle School Corporation breakfast and lunch every day. They have always been unsung heroes, but now we know their true value.

When COVID-19 hit in March and shut schools down, this crew took on a new role “The Essential Lunch Lady Worker.”

Schools shut down on Friday and by Monday morning, breakfast and sack lunch meals were being distributed to families daily in a drive-through setting.

As the need grew, it was evident that changes needed to be made in the way our meals were served. The switch to bulk feeding took place, which allowed each child breakfast and lunch for five days at a time. The drive-through pick up continued every Wednesday until school started on Aug. 12.

During this time, another site was opened at Elite Skyhawk Academy to have meals daily for families that could not make the weekly pick-up location.

There were teachers, guidance counselors, teacher aides and community helpers who would pick up and distribute meals to their local neighborhoods.

Our mission during this public health crisis was to ensure all children throughout the county who needed a meal got one, even when they weren’t in school.

The Essential Crew did just that, packaging and serving 158,122 meals strong during the shutdown.

The Lunch Ladies are now back to serving breakfast and lunch to each student daily at each school. They may not be rich and famous, but their job as a “Lunch Lady” is priceless.

In my close to 30 years as being a director this was one of the biggest challenges that I had ever faced. I want to personally congratulate and thank each team member for all the time-consuming hours and hard work that it took to complete 158,122 meals.

We are happy with being able to help our community in such a huge way.