Over the last two weeks, we’ve accepted nominations for School Lunch Hero Day and we’ve received so many heart-warming stories–we’ve been blown away! You can check out some of the wonderful nominations and stories for School Lunch Hero Day here. With so much great work being done by those of you serving kids, we had a challenging time only picking three! But these stories stood out to us and touched us. We hope you find them as powerful as we did.

Debra Wilson, River Road ISD – nominated by Kim Terry

“Debra is our manager at our Elementary. During school closure she has been such an advocate for our meal service. She sends out Facebook messages telling parents what’s on the menu that day. She lets me know if a family needs help with home delivery and parent’s message her about how they are loving our meals. The kids call her “Ms. Debra” and she knows all their names–and their favorite foods! She made sure one of the students got his favorite. Here is that parent’s message:

“Oh my goodness! Your amazing people brought lunch and breakfast to our house and while Ben was looking through his, he yells, Mom I got a banana! Those are my favorite; how did they know? I told him you guys were magic and that you guys miss all of their kids. He said Mom sorry their bananas are better than yours….Thank you so much for everything and giving him a better banana today lol.”

Debra will pay out of her own pocket to give a kiddo a treat if they have no money. She goes out of her way to love on her kiddos. They love her in return and so do we! We think she is deserving of recognition!”

Charlene Adams, Coffee County School – nominated by Sheila Cooper

“Charlene’s numbers started out at 656 children but since the Coronavirus started she has increased her feeding to 1280 Kids. She goes above and beyond–it doesn’t matter if it is raining or the sun is shining, they get the job done. She works on her days off and on weekends to make sure that the job is getting done. One day a family called and said they had missed the bus. She said, No problem, we will go take them some lunch–even on her day off! She wants to make sure that every child in her school has something to eat. Charlene shows her employees the love that most schools don’t show and she recognizes her employees daily, telling them what a great job that they are doing. She is also one of the first ones to volunteer for fundraising and for helping other schools out when they need help. There are so many reasons she should be recognized on #SchoolLunchHeroDay!”

Jose Luis Sanchez, Capistrano District – nominated by Diane Stagner, Shannon Illingworth, and Kristin Hilleman

“Luis is an outstanding dedicated warehouse driver. Since the emergency feeding has started, he has gone out of his way to make sure the people at the school sites have the products they need to feed our communities. Wherever he goes he is spreading his brand of joy with a friendly “Hello!” and “What do you need today?” After he has done his utmost all day, he continually stays late to get things prepared for the next day. He is going above and beyond!”

“Luis is efficient, reliable, and kindhearted. The most admirable thing about Luis is his positivity. He is always smiling and has kind words, a greeting, or a wave for all team members. He leaves people feeling better after interacting with them. Guess what Luis’s favorite day of the week is? It is Monday because he sees it as a gift and new beginning to the week. Luis is also the definition of a team player and hard worker. He is a true asset to our team now more than ever. He has been helping with emergency meal services since day one of the program. He not only delivers meals, but helps support assembly lines while meals are being packaged, grabbing and opening new cases of food as needed. Many times he does this without being asked; he simply sees a need and fills it. Luis is incredibly deserving of this recognition.”

“Luis is an exceptional person. His super powers are truly his positive attitude and willingness to help. Every day he works hard ensuring the operation is moving smoothly and everyone is working in harmony. In our current working world, Luis has been his every-day hard-working self plus. He is beyond helpful in every facet of our operation. From packing in the central kitchen, delivering or picking up food from schools, helping clarify new processes that are changing moment to moment, and serving meals to our community. He is awesome, a team player and a great role model, too.”

At Health-e Pro, we thank you for submitting these fantastic stories. And to all of you continuing to serve children, thank you!

We’ll be following up with each of these Superheroes and get some Amazon gift cards sent their way.

Looking to learn more about School Lunch Hero Day? Check out this page from the School Nutrition Association page to learn more!