The Sustainability Conversation WE ARE NOT HAVING.
School Lunch Hero Day on May 6th, I want to ask: how are we showing up for Cafeteria Workers? How are we positively impacting their daily lives? How are we using our power to leverage a better life for Cafeteria Workers? Because as it stands today, the role of the Cafeteria Worker is
Cafeteria Workers throughout the country do the best they can with what they have. They are making it work while being underpaid, overworked, and burnt out from a worldwide pandemic as a frontline worker. Making it work isn’t the same thing as thriving. Making it work isn’t sustainable, it’s just surviving. Cafeteria Workers deserve more, not because they are Cafeteria Workers but because they are human beings. Their role in School Nutrition and the labor they produce are integral to our industry, the communities they live in, and, most importantly, to the students they serve. But Cafeteria Workers are more than their labor and it is time that we take care of the people who care for our children. When we advocate for Cafeteria Workers, we are also advocating for the students they serve. The truth is, we need Cafeteria Workers more than they need us. So sure, let’s make moves towards sustainability, but we
not sustainable. We can’t just want it to change, we need it to change. The sustainability of our programs, the wonderful humans who make our programs possible,
School Nutrition Coordinator, LunchAssist Angela Gomez, RDN, SNS
We all have that “one” friend. That friend that brings up the conversation you are not having, but should be having. Today, I am that friend. More and more, School Nutrition Professionals are starting to talk seriously about sustainability. However, there is one huge piece of sustainability that we are not talking about. That is the sustainability of the Cafeteria Worker. You know, our
frontline workers, our School Lunch Heroes, our bread and butter.
The labor shortage being felt throughout the country should be School Nutrition’s blaring warning sign. Cafeterias all across the U.S. have plenty of vacant positions with very few people, if any, lining up to fill
and the students who rely on these meals depend on it.
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those positions. Now if you are in the School Nutrition world, it is no secret that the job of a Cafeteria Worker is a skilled position that is physically demanding, fast- paced, and (as care-work carried out by mostly women) is generally under-appreciated.Many Cafeteria Workers don’t make a livable wage and don’t have full-time hours or the benefits that come with working full-time.
can’t have true sustainability without equity. You can’t have equity without prioritizing the very humans who ensure our School Meal Programs exist.
As you gear up to celebrate
Angela is a second-career Registered Dietitian and recently transitioned out of her role as a Nutritionist at an Arizona school district to the School Lunch Coordinator position with LunchAssist. She started her career as a Dietitian over 4 years ago after unexpectedly falling in love with School Nutrition during her dietetic internship. Angela sees School Nutrition as the ideal place to bridge her passion for tasty food, nutrition education, health equity, and food justice. She loves any opportunity to be creative and feels that the world of School Nutrition continues to be a great place to flex those creative muscles. Angela Gomez, RDN, SNS LunchAssist; School Nutrition Coordinator
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