Hello School Food Solutions friends! The time is here! That’s right! School Lunch Hero day 2021 is this Friday, May 02, 2021! This year, School Food Solutions would like to give a shoutout to few lunch heroes who were nominated to participate in our Food Service Employee Day contest last October! Five special food service employees were selected as recipients of our cash card giveaway! Read more about these awesome school lunch heroes below!

Iysha Brooks - Palm Lane Charter School (CA)

Iysha Brooks was nominated for going over and beyond during her school’s closure periods by ensuring that all students received healthy meals each day. Because of her hard work and dedication, Palm Lane Charter School passed all of their audits that were scheduled during the midst of the pandemic. Because of Palm Lane Charter School ‘s closure, Iysha's hours were reduced, but her service to Palm Lane did not. She continued to serve their students each week with a smile. Palm Lane Charter School seemed very happy to have Iysha and they were very thankful for her service and dedication…..

Brandon Hughes - Purpose Prep (TN)

Mr. Hughes is someone who’s ALWAYS dependable and gets things done at Purpose Prep. In addition to his service on the operations team and being someone who’s very amazing behind-the-scenes, Mr. Hughes went above and beyond to ensure that Purpose Prep’s students’ breakfast, lunch, and snack nutritional programs were properly executed. At the early start of his day, Mr. Hughes would make sure that all food orders were delivered while working to ensure accurate quantity and food temperature. He also worked to ensure that food options were available for all students and their dietary restrictions (food allergies included) were considered….

Jackie Richard - Hosanna Christian Academy (LA)

Ms. Richard went above and beyond feeding the students at Hosanna Christian Academy. She did a great job reaching out and personally getting to know all students. She managed a crew that cooked and served delicious and nutritious meals to their students. She also fed the homeless and found several recourses to meet their needs.

Arlease Ward - FirstLine - Langston Hughes Academy (LA)

Arlease was always a pleasant person to work with at Langston Hughes Academy. She was sure to put forth great efforts to make things right for their students to receive their many meals. She always volunteered to help out with any events , even after her normal work hours. She was always known for communicate with all students and getting to know them personally. She took time out of her daily schedule to collaborate with other staff members to that everyone was on the same page for meals and schedules. She is a great leader for her staff and always has a calm demeanor. She's great at being versatile and accommodating with changes and never complains…

Linda McCall - Somerset Academy of Las Vegas (NV)

Despite the many challenges with their school closure and multiple ever-changing plans for reopening, Linda was one of the most flexible and understanding members of the Somerset Academy of Las Vegas school staff. With a smile on her face, she arrived earlier than anyone and diligently attended to her many responsibilities. Because of her continued efforts, their students, who were not attending school on campus, were still able to receive nutritious meals every week. When meals weren't picked up, Linda continued to call parents until she was able to connect with them and set up alternative times for them to pick up their child's meals. Linda is passionate when it comes to feeding the children of Somerset Academy of Las Vegas, and she made every effort to ensure that they had food in their bellies….

For full stories, be sure to check out our original blog post from last year at: http://www.schoolfoodsolutions.org/blog/2020/10/15/happy-national-school-lunch-week-congrats-to-the-winners

Also, check out a few cool snapshots that were sent in with nominations! Our school heroes are looking good in their superhero uniforms! Thank you so much to all of our wonderful schools and staff who recognize their lunch heroes! These individuals are always saving the day for our students and families!

Be sure to send us any 2021 School Lunch Hero recommendations and shout-outs to info@schoolfoodsolutions.org!