mobile pickup partnerships with local food pantries, as well as supplying fresh fruits and veggies and snacks. And despite the weighty challenge of managing so many service options, Bock’s program was still able to focus on their program’s mission. “The most important thing is that we are able to feed our children food that creates dignity for them,” Bock said. “Delicious food, yes. Nutritious food, yes. But food they can be proud to eat. We do that through cooking from scratch and sourcing as locally as we possibly can.” Bock said she’s proud of the work she does and gives credit to those on her team. “I give credit to the people around me. [They are the reason] we keep going and howwe’ve been able to achieve this many pivots. It is 100 percent because my department is filled with the hardest working individuals I have ever encountered in my life.” At times, it can be easy to feel unappreciated for hard work. Bock noted there is a lot of pride in her industry whether others appreciate the dedication of school nutrition professionals or not. “School nutrition professionals are some of the most underpaid, under appreciated humans on the planet. There’s a lot of pride in being a lunch lady, so I embrace the term,” Bock said. “I think that being a school nutrition professional is the most rewarding and noble path that anyone could find. I’m so lucky to have found it later in my life.” Just like Danielle Bock and her team at Greeley-Evans School District 6, all school nutrition professionals across the nation are Lunchroom Rockstars. These stars rock the lunchroom by making a positive impact to their school nutrition program while working tirelessly to ensure our children are well-fed and ready to learn. That’swhywe launchedour LunchroomRockstarsprogram. Nutrition directors and their teams deserve to be placed in the spotlight and center stage. When you nominate someone as a Lunchroom Rockstar, you’re helping to bust the negative perception of school nutrition programs and let others know that school food ROCKS! We’re awarding the 2020-2021 Lunchroom Rockstars Hall of Fame Inductees on July 16 at LINQ’D UP, a free, hybrid networking event for school nutrition professionals.
We’re In Awe
SUCCESS FROM STRIFE How a Colorado School Nutrition Program Thrived During the Height of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Vice President of Nutrition Services, LINQ Carol Weekly
It’s time to celebrate! The steely grip of the COVID-19 pandemic has loosened, opening the door for us to live much as we were before. Social calendars are filling fast with parades, parties, reunions, and concerts. We deserve some fun. But hold on to your party poppers for just a moment. Celebrations are even sweeter when they are earned, and no one has earned it more than the folks who toiled on the front lines of the pandemic. These brave souls— doctors, nurses, grocery store staff, restaurant servers, delivery drivers, pharmacy staff, teachers—sacrificed their time, health, and mental well-being so their communities had medical care, food in their bellies, and an education. Whether or not we knew just how essential these professionalswere toour lives,we knownowthat their hard work is the real reason we’re ready to revel. The best way to kick off our celebrations is to honor these individuals and their stories about turning their professions upside down to meet the needs of their communities. Just like other essential workers, school nutrition teams spent a lot of time getting comfortable with uncomfortability as the pandemic closed schools down
nationwide. How would they feed students, especially those living with food insecurity, if the children weren’t in the school building? “Pivot” became an industry buzzword as nutrition programs were given an unprecedented opportunity to get creative. The nutrition team of Greeley-Evans School District 6 took the challenge head on, fully embodying the word pivot as they looked for ways to serve its 21,500 students. “Finding the kids and making sure that we bring the meals to the kids has been a significant challenge for us,” Danielle Bock, Director of Nutrition Services for Greeley-Evans said. ”Every single day presents a new challenge to find the kid, feed the kid, and then replenish the stores. And that’s all the stores, right? Not even just the food stores, it’s the mental stores, too.” Ever the fraternal group, Bock and her team tapped into networking opportunities with other school nutrition professionals to generate ideas and find support for their shifting food service models. In addition to offering in- person, socially distanced meals in cafeterias, Bock’s program shifted to include breakfast and lunch service in the classroom, bus route pick up options, drive-thru spots,
Join us as we come together to celebrate those who found success during one of the most challenging times on record. This is not another Zoom event; our unique forum will allow you to connect with other nutrition professionals, play games and win prizes. After all your hard work, you deserve to attend an event that honors your dedication AND is fun to attend! We can’t wait to see you there. Photo Credit Photos used in this article are courtesy of Greeley-Evans School District 6
Vice President of Nutrition Services, LINQ Carol spent 15 years as an operator prior to switching over to the industry side of the business. Carol is a Registered Dietitian and a School Nutrition Specialist. She has also served in a range of roles for the School Nutrition Association and most recently served as the SNIC Co-Chair as the industry representative and spoke at SNIC 2021. Carol Weekly
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