Every
Wednesday for 10 weeks families from around Howard County lined up outside
Kokomo School Corporation’s middle schools to pick up bags containing 5
breakfasts and 5 lunches for their children.
As these
families drove through the parking lots, Kokomo Schools principals and teachers
distributed the meals, waving to families and students they recognized.
What
families did not see during these meal distributions was the approximately 80
food services employees who worked countless hours behind the scenes to make
these distributions possible.
“My team was
absolutely amazing,” Kokomo Schools Food Services Director Elaine Brovont
explained. “I believe these hard-working team members even surprised themselves
with how much they accomplished during those 10 weeks.”
The staff
prepared the first distribution in two days. In those 48 hours, staff and
administrators completed quick inventories of available food supplies, selected
distribution locations, contacted suppliers, and prepared and cupped all fresh
fruits and vegetables, among other tasks. Finally, a total of 15,000 meals were
packaged and bagged for distribution.
“I can’t
describe how proud I am of my staff for pulling this together in two days,”
Mrs. Brovont noted. “After we finished preparations, we anxiously awaited the
arrival of families. We were not sure how many would take advantage of this
free resource, but we were so happy to distribute all 15,000 meals. We even
created a list of 300 families who didn’t receive meals. Our staff quickly made
300 additional meal packages the following day and distributed them to the
families.”
The
following week, the food services staff distributed 22,500 meals, and in
subsequent weeks, that number was increased to 24,000. In 10 weeks, the staff
distributed a total of 231,000 meals to Howard County families.
Developing
an entirely new meal preparation and delivery system presented its own set of
challenges for the food services department at Kokomo Schools.
“Transitioning
12 kitchens to three distribution points and one prep kitchen was a daunting
task,” Mrs. Brovont explained. “This situation created new adventures for our
staff.”
Staff
members worked up to 24 hours each week continuously monitoring inventory and
moving product, ensuring freezers weren’t overfilled, thawing frozen items,
packaging meals, and creating labels for meals to meet Board of Health
guidelines.
Food
services employee Kimatha Little described an average meal prep day.
“We began
our days by gathering all of the products needed from the refrigerators,
freezers, and stock room,” Ms. Little noted. “Next, we filled the bags. In two
days, our staff prepared, on average, 2,400 bags… 800 bags each of frozen,
refrigerated, and dried goods. Our days involved early mornings, a great deal
of lifting and walking, and good camaraderie among co-workers.”
Matthew
Hicks also enjoyed forming relationships with his colleagues.
“I was able
to meet so many new staff members while working in different kitchens,” Mr.
Hicks noted. “This was very beneficial to me as this was my first year working
for Kokomo Schools. I learned so much that I will be able to use in the coming
years!”
Elizabeth
Hummel and her co-workers added: “Other than helping children, building bonds
with colleagues was the most enjoyable part of the new meal distribution
program. We met, and developed friendships with, colleagues we never worked
alongside before. It was cool to share stories and experiences with these new
friends and learn from other perspectives.”
Staff
members agreed that helping students during the pandemic was, hands down, the
most rewarding part of the meal distribution program.
Mrs.
Brovont noted that menus had to be changed weekly based on product availability
from suppliers, so staff members enjoyed receiving compliments on the food from
families.
One parent
noted: “Thank you to everyone who put the bags together. My kids were so
excited to eat the school foods that are familiar to them. I wish I would have
recorded their reactions when they opened the meal packages. It was like
Christmas morning.”
More
important than the compliments, though, was the knowledge that the staff was
doing something good during a difficult time.
Ms. Hummel
explained: “When my co-workers and I heard about school buildings closing, we
thought about students who rely on school meals. We are very proud that we
could make a difference through meaningful work.”
Mr. Hicks
added: “While the days were exhausting, it felt nice to know that our hard work
did so much good for our community.”
Sandi
Shupperd concluded: “Just being a part of this process was so gratifying.”