Feeding Kids During a Pandemic
The COVID-19 crisis has shone a light, like never before, on the incredible work done by school nutrition staff. When schools closed their doors, they had less than a week to completely reimagine their distribution models and keep students fed and nourished. Vermont FEED is honored to share some voices from the frontline school nutrition programs that so many families depend on. There's so much innovation, creativity, and hard work happening right now— but that happens every day in our schools’ cafeterias, pandemic or not. Hear firsthand how schools are adapting, keeping kids nourished, and dreaming big.
Harley sterling
Windham Northeast Supervisory Union
"Our approach has always been systemic local purchasing. Buying local once in a while is nice. But nice is not systemic. And our systemic purchasing was very resilient. It's apples, it's beef, it's corn, it's maple syrup — these are the strategic, big ticket items we buy regularly from local sources."
Maureen O’Neil
Abbey Group Food Service at Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union
"This spring, families were so appreciative to go to their bus stop for a food delivery. And they were still in their school year routine. They really looked forward to the bus delivering meals. It was like a sense of normalcy for the kids."
Karyl Kent
Lamoille North School District
“Our staff have really stepped up and taken leadership roles. And they're innovative and creative thinkers. They think on their feet... It's been really inspiring to see some of the innovations that have come from my team. That's been a big benefit of all of this: to see people rise."