I recently came across two stories that turned the spotlight on school lunch ladies and the impact they can have on the students they serve.
Our first story comes to us from Beaverton, Oregon.
Julian Worsham garners attention when he walks into a room, more so than most six-year-old students. Julian was born with the most common form of dwarfism.
Lunch time was a struggle for Julian. Staff quickly used duct tape and milk crates to build a cart for Julian to carry his food and get around the cafeteria.
But that mish-mash solution was no solution in the eyes of Endelia Mottram. She called in reinforcements in the guise of her husband, James. A professional metal worker, James leaped to the challenge of building a cart for Julian.
Her determination to help a student in her school resulted in giving Julian confidence and maintaining his independence.
The school told Julian’s story in a 2021 video on its Facebook page.
The other story is an essay by Jennifer Justus for Bitter Southerner where she regales tales from life with her grandmother—who was a lunch lady in Georgia—before going behind the serving lines to look at the people who keep children fed.
Both stories shine a light on the positive impact these unsung heroes make in the lives of children every day across the country.
PHOTO CREDIT: Rosalba Gomez, Arlington Food Services prepares trays of parfait cups with yogurt, fruit and granola and blueberry muffins for the National School Lunch Program at Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia, on Wednesday, October 25, 2011. The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service operating in public, nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day. USDA Photo by Bob Nichols. (by U.S. Department of Agriculture via Wikimedia)
