School Lunch Hero Day is May 1st

School Lunch Hero Day is Friday, May 1st.  Inspired by Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author and illustrator of the popular LUNCH LADY graphic novel series (these are awesome books.  Very funny, and great for so many ages), this is an opportunity for students to thank their school cafeteria staff with handmade cards, banners and special recognition.  Lots of school cafeteria staff get kind of a bad rap.  But, if you’ve been around a while, you know that I myself find them to be super heroes of their own kind, and deserving of accolades, so when the School Nutrition Association was all “hey Brett, there’s this special day coming up to celebrate school cafeteria workers, will you write a post and spread the word?” I jumped right on board.

While I’ve believed and known for a while that the folks who work in school cafeterias are generally amazing people who do a lot for very little (if any) recognition or gratitude, I got to experience first hand just how much these folks tend to go above and beyond what they are “hired” to do.  In February, my son was sent for testing, relating to severe stomach pain with no other symptoms that had been going on for weeks on end.  Several blood tests later, and after eliminating dairy, we’ve learned he cannot have dairy in his diet.  This was a bit of an adjustment for my milk-drinking, yogurt loving boy, and for a kid who likes to buy lunch a few days a week, kind of stressful for me as his mama. I had a conversation with our school nurse and within a few hours, the School Nutrition Director called me personally to discuss my little dude and to reassure me that they’d be helping guide him through lunch choices the next few weeks as he learned to read and look for dairy ingredients.

 

Did she have to do that?  No.  Was it a big deal?  Probably not to Mrs. B, and probably not to her staff, but to me?  It was a huge thing.  My son is 7.  He’s never had to pay attention to foods and labels and we were a little bit stressed about not being there to help him with school lunch.  Mrs. B and her staff made sure we didn’t have to worry.  They put a note on his account so any subs or changes in staff would see that he’s a ‘no dairy’ and remind him if something got put onto his tray.  I do realize we live in a small town with a smaller sized Prek-8 school and every school won’t have this experience, but from the friends and family I’ve spoken with near and far to us, the overall experience is the same.  School cafeteria staff are doing the best they can to make the best options for our kids….and often they are doing so with very minimal budgets.

So in light of this, we are CELEBRATING our School Lunch Heroes this Friday, May 1st.  I popped into Kindergarten earlier this week and made a big card with the kids, and my son and I will be making one just from him tomorrow for him to bring in. Take a few minutes and peek at the fabulous FREE activities, suggestions and printables so you can honor YOUR School Lunch Hero on Friday! 2015_Hero_Day_Cards___Activities

Supported by SNA and Random House Children’s Books, School Lunch Hero Day honors the devoted and hardworking school nutrition professionals nationwide.  School lunch heroes can be found in every community but too often, their dedication to the children they serve goes unrecognized.  The day will inspire creativity, encourage school unity and teach a sense of gratitude.  This is a fun, hands-on event for students.

We are delighted to tell you that we are giving away 2 signed copies of the original Lunch Lady graphic novel. (Also delighted to tell you that our school library will be receiving a full set of the Lunch Lady graphic novels for the students to enjoy, in honor of our own School Lunch Heroes!!) 

To enter, simply leave a comment below and tell me in full sentences your School Lunch Hero experience.  Winners to be chosen randomly.  Giveaway will end on May 5, 2015 at 11:59pm EST.  US only.