Feeding Your Stomach and Your Soul: AB Food Services During
COVID-19
BY SOPHIE ZHANG '22
Every Wednesday, Acton-Boxborough Food Services prepares meal kits for the district’s free curbside pick up. They plan for 600 bags, each with five breakfasts and five lunches, resulting in 6,000 meals total. Some families ask for one bag while others need twelve, but anyone can pick up food at the high school’s Hayward Road entrance or receive deliveries from the Neighbor Brigade volunteers.
The program first appeared in March when the administration announced that schools were closing for two weeks. Within two days, Food Services staff began offering these meals, serving around 34 families on opening day. “We had to pull this together out of nothing,” said Amy French, High School Cafeteria Manager. “I remember thinking: are ten people going to show up, or a hundred? It was a total guess.”
Though originally expected to last a few weeks, the program continued through the summer and is still going strong, with its funding lasting until the end of June 2021. “It has been quite an undertaking for Amy and Jane [Tibbets, the Junior High Cafeteria Manager] trying to be able to run the normal program and run the curbside program,” said Food Services Director, Kristen Nelson. Many staff roles have changed drastically, and they have taken up added responsibilities and hours. French remembered coming in at 6:15 AM and working on her feet until 5:15 PM, preparing extra meal kits for a Monday holiday.
One of the biggest changes due to COVID-19 has been packaging. School lunches and breakfasts must be served in a covered container instead of a tray. This new requirement needs more space, funds, and time, according to French. Similarly, due to outbreaks decreasing labor supply in processing plants and other suppliers, the staff has faced a challenge in securing product: companies have condensed their items from ten to three, limiting the Food Service’s choices. Further, the products are often out of stock: five packages of containers may come, but the five corresponding lids may be missing.
Another roadblock occurred after the staff’s container supplier stopped shipping a customary product, and the substitute item was too tall for the warmer. Maintaining enough space for meals became another major challenge. Nelson explained that it was like “trying to figure out a jigsaw puzzle of trying to feed all of the kids, making sure everything stays hot, and then trying to [fit] enough servings in the warmer.”
However, despite all these challenges, the staff has maintained a sense of optimism. “[The pandemic] has definitely changed all operations on a daily basis,” said Nelson, but “the one thing about Food Services for me is that it's never boring… you never know what your day is going to be like. It could be that somebody is out sick. It could be that the delivery doesn't show up on time. It could be anything. But it's fun trying to figure it all out, and it's a new challenge every day.”
Nelson also noted the appreciation felt from families. The curbside program has been a huge help for families that have experienced unemployment and loss during the pandemic.
Despite all of the changes, the Food Services’ goals have largely stayed the same. “Our main goal has always been to make sure that we put out a decent product for our students, one that the students enjoy for breakfast and lunch,” Nelson said. “It's certainly been out of the scope of what we've normally done. But it's along the same lines, we are still feeding our students as well as our community.” Additionally, Nelson pointed out that the curbside pickup is for anybody, not just for those who are struggling: taking a bag will not take away from someone else. Nelson also encourages students to stop by the cafeteria in the morning to grab a free breakfast. You’ll get a nutritious meal when you walk in and a warm smile as you walk out.
The program first appeared in March when the administration announced that schools were closing for two weeks. Within two days, Food Services staff began offering these meals, serving around 34 families on opening day. “We had to pull this together out of nothing,” said Amy French, High School Cafeteria Manager. “I remember thinking: are ten people going to show up, or a hundred? It was a total guess.”
Though originally expected to last a few weeks, the program continued through the summer and is still going strong, with its funding lasting until the end of June 2021. “It has been quite an undertaking for Amy and Jane [Tibbets, the Junior High Cafeteria Manager] trying to be able to run the normal program and run the curbside program,” said Food Services Director, Kristen Nelson. Many staff roles have changed drastically, and they have taken up added responsibilities and hours. French remembered coming in at 6:15 AM and working on her feet until 5:15 PM, preparing extra meal kits for a Monday holiday.
One of the biggest changes due to COVID-19 has been packaging. School lunches and breakfasts must be served in a covered container instead of a tray. This new requirement needs more space, funds, and time, according to French. Similarly, due to outbreaks decreasing labor supply in processing plants and other suppliers, the staff has faced a challenge in securing product: companies have condensed their items from ten to three, limiting the Food Service’s choices. Further, the products are often out of stock: five packages of containers may come, but the five corresponding lids may be missing.
Another roadblock occurred after the staff’s container supplier stopped shipping a customary product, and the substitute item was too tall for the warmer. Maintaining enough space for meals became another major challenge. Nelson explained that it was like “trying to figure out a jigsaw puzzle of trying to feed all of the kids, making sure everything stays hot, and then trying to [fit] enough servings in the warmer.”
However, despite all these challenges, the staff has maintained a sense of optimism. “[The pandemic] has definitely changed all operations on a daily basis,” said Nelson, but “the one thing about Food Services for me is that it's never boring… you never know what your day is going to be like. It could be that somebody is out sick. It could be that the delivery doesn't show up on time. It could be anything. But it's fun trying to figure it all out, and it's a new challenge every day.”
Nelson also noted the appreciation felt from families. The curbside program has been a huge help for families that have experienced unemployment and loss during the pandemic.
Despite all of the changes, the Food Services’ goals have largely stayed the same. “Our main goal has always been to make sure that we put out a decent product for our students, one that the students enjoy for breakfast and lunch,” Nelson said. “It's certainly been out of the scope of what we've normally done. But it's along the same lines, we are still feeding our students as well as our community.” Additionally, Nelson pointed out that the curbside pickup is for anybody, not just for those who are struggling: taking a bag will not take away from someone else. Nelson also encourages students to stop by the cafeteria in the morning to grab a free breakfast. You’ll get a nutritious meal when you walk in and a warm smile as you walk out.
