We Love Our Lunch Ladies!

They arrive early and leave late.

They are selfless — always thinking of the needs of others.

They feed our bodies, but they feed our hearts, too.

They are our lunch ladies, and we love them.

For those brief few moments of interaction with our students, our lunch ladies deliver the message, “Our students matter,” through both words and actions. With a smile, they banter with the kids while they tirelessly work, sharing a bit of their hearts and their talents with each spoonful.

Each day, our ladies prepare and serve two well-balanced meals. They worry about cleanliness and allergies and budgets and regulations as they strive to make each tasty meal, all the while expressing, “It’s all for the kids.”

They sprinkle kindness as they get to know each student, almost 400 — and most by name! They try new recipes and strive to find more delicious ingredients. They navigate each day as they plan each meal, keeping in mind “what the kids liked the last time” and what traditional holiday meals the kids might enjoy like turkey dinner with all the fixin’s for Thanksgiving and ham and scalloped potatoes for Christmas. And whenever the opportunity presents itself, they sprinkle a sprinkle or two on the desserts, each “jimmie” proving they love the kids.

And last year, during the height of the pandemic, our lunch ladies, with the help of Jason Williams of the Nutrition Group, packed hundreds of breakfasts and lunches for the week for students studying from home. On the sunniest of days or during afternoons filled with cold, biting winter winds, our lunch ladies distributed these curbside meals to family after family. Our lunch ladies’ smiles never wavered each week as concern for the welfare of our students urged them to continue that familiar, friendly, loving banter.

Each year after year, hundreds go through the lunch line — hundreds of times; here are a few of our seniors who wanted to share their appreciation with these women who wear their hero’s capes as aprons:

DeVaughn Napier (Carpentry ~ New Castle): “It’s heartwarming to see them take the time in their day to make food and serve it to us teenagers. I’m sure it can be a thankless job, but they do it with a smile, and we feel blessed.”

Madison Wheeler (Health Assistant ~ Laurel): “We love them all! I’m really amazed by Jojo; she’s so funny and is always helpful; she shows she cares by remembering little details about each of us. Whenever I have kids, I hope they get to have her as their lunch lady!”

Dianna Troutman (Vet Assistant ~ New Castle): “Every Friday, my shop goes on a field trip, so the lunch ladies prepare lunches the night before for us to take in the morning. They are so excited to go that extra mile and help us out; it really makes me feel like they care — and they do!”

Shawn Barr (Welding Co-Op ~ Shenango): “They are wonderful! They joke around with us and interact with us. They show that they care. We love them!”

Kaitlyn Bober (Vet Assistant ~ Laurel): The lunch ladies are so sweet to everyone who goes through the line. It’s easy to see that they care about their jobs and try to give us the best each day. One day, I had to stay in shop through most of the lunch period to finish a project. When I finally got to the cafeteria, they were closing up for the day and had started to clean to prepare for tomorrow’s meals. They could have turned me away; instead, they were nice enough to stop what they were doing and made it for me right then and there! I will never forget their kindness.”

There are many other stories — too numerous to tell, but you get the idea.

Jojo, Carol, and Leighanne — simply stated, THANK YOU! We all really do appreciate you!