Back in college, if you ever would have told her that she would have fallen into the profession of Child Nutrition, she probably would have looked at you like you were crazy. Eleven years ago, Donette Worthy did fall into this profession and quickly developed a passion and love for it. She has held numerous positions within the field and is currently the Director of Child Nutrition for Alexander City Schools in Alexander City, AL. Her love for children and helping children follow their dreams is what drives her to continue when the going gets tough. She wants every child to be set up for success and nutrition plays a major role in that. When she is not at work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Jeremy, and their three daughters on their land. Time with them refreshes her soul to continue her purpose to serve the children in her community. Director of Nutrition, Alexander City Schools (AL) Donette Worthy
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The MUSTARD SEED Challenge
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As the end of the school year quickly approaches, school nutrition employees across the nation are exhausted. These past two years have been more draining than anything school nutrition professionals have ever experienced. We have all dealt with supply chain hiccups, canceled products and labor shortages. At this point, we all feel done. We want a break and we need it to revive our souls before the next school year. I get it, understand it and feel it deep within my soul too. However, I want to challenge every school nutrition professional to dig down deep inside of themselves and plant a tiny mustard seed. Plant a tiny mustard seed for strength to continue on doing what we do best. Even though the end of school is here, our opportunity to continue to make a difference in our community is still alive and well. It is alive in the form of Summer Feeding.
for yourself. It simply means that you can take some much-needed time off but still contribute to making a difference in the world around you. This might look different for everyone and there is no right or wrong way. • Some school nutrition professionals might plant their seed, water and nourish it and then jump right into Summer Feeding for the entire summer. • There might be others who plant their mustard seed and it takes longer for them to nourish and grow it which means they might not start working summer feeding until later in the summer. • There is another group of professionals that might plant their seed but they require more nourishment than most and they only work one or two weeks during the summer. Each group is planting, nourishing and regrouping while still making a difference. Mustard seeds are living, they are life-giving and they lead to producing fruit. All three of these attributes are three of the attributes that I would give to every school nutrition professional. All of us are humans who are trying to make a difference in our world. We are life-giving by nurturing the children in our community. We also help produce fruit by not only planting our own mustard seed but by also encouraging the next generation to do so as well. I encourage each of you to plant your mustard seed within you and nurture it. Then decide on how you can continue to make a difference in your community while maintaining your own growth so that you can be ready for the new school year.
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Plant a tiny mustard seed for strength to continue on doing what we do best. “
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A mustard seed is only about one to two millimeters in size. The thickness of a mustard seed is the same as a nickel, twenty sheets of paper or the point of a crayon. So, as you can tell, mustard seeds truly are tiny. However, that one tiny mustard seed has the potential to grow into a 30-foot bush if it is nurtured and taken care of. One tiny seed has the potential to change the world around it as long as it is planted, nourished and taken care of. However, just because you plant the tiny seed, doesn’t mean that you give up rest and recuperation
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