It’s been said that the worst of times can bring out the best in people, and I’m sure you’ll agree that the school foodservice community has risen to the occasion by finding creative and innovative ways to feed children during this pandemic. Every day we are reading about ways school districts have gone above and beyond to get meals to kids, even when they are at home for remote learning. At E S Foods, we have been fortunate to do our small part in this effort by providing shelf-stable, grab & go meals. For us it has meant more Classroom Feeding, grab & go meals and individually wrapped meals sent home to students doing remote learning. The stories we are reading about are inspiring and heart-warming. I am proud to be part of an industry that is undertaking such a noble cause – feeding hungry children.

I wanted to share with you one example that appeared last week in Food Service Director – a story featuring a New Jersey school district that served 2 million meals since the start of the pandemic. As the image shows, our grab & go Breakfast BREAKS helped fill a need there. Here’s an excerpt with a quote I find most inspiring:

“I don’t think the question was ever asked, ‘Are we going to do this?’ or ‘How will we do this?’—it was always, ‘Let’s do it,’” says Tony Dragona, business administrator and board secretary for the Union City Board of Education, who worked with the nutrition team and other community stakeholders to determine the best way to serve students.