Do you know how much goes into preparing meals for staff and students? Cafeteria staff arrive at school as early as 5 a.m. to begin preparing food before students even wake up. Each week, they make between 500 and 800 meals, ensuring that both breakfast and lunch are ready on time. For some students, school meals serve as their only consistent source of daily nutrition.
Behind every lunch tray is a team that is responsible for preparing and serving food. According to Fluvanna County Public Schools (FCPS) Food Service Supervisor Gwendolyn Jones, who noted that School Lunch Hero Day will be May 1, FCPS lunch workers have provided nearly 575,000 healthy meals to Fluco students so far this year. They interact with students and staff throughout the day and help maintain an organized lunchroom environment. Over time, they may become familiar faces as part of students’ daily routines.
“My favorite part of my job would have to be the daily interaction with students and camaraderie with my co-workers,” said cafeteria worker Holly Brown.
“Being a cafeteria worker is important to me for many reasons, but one of the most important to me is taking pride in my work in preparing and providing the most delicious and fresh food possible to students, in an exceptionally clean and organized environment,” said Brown.
Cafeteria staff do a lot of different jobs around the school, which include encouraging students to get more breakfast at school because they want students to eat a more balanced diet. For example, the number of students eating school lunches has dropped from 500 to 400 in recent years, as more students are turning to Dunkin’ Donuts and other unhealthy foods for breakfast.
After school, the staff also maintains the kitchen. They clean every day, wash dishes, and pack everything neatly so the next day can run smoothly.
“We do everything in the kitchen from cooking, ordering, deciding how much to make, cleaning all the equipment, cleaning the floors, taking out the trash, etc. But it’s all worth it because we love feeding the students here at FCHS. Just seeing the smiles, laughing with them, watching them grow, and making friendships that can last forever,” said the Food Services Manager Sheri Casero.
Following is a list of FCPS Food Service staff:
