Half the Cost of School Lunch Goes to a 60-Cent Brown Paper Bag
How shortages are shaping logistics of feeding New Hampshire kids in the pandemic
At a time when so many of us feel utterly useless, it can help to instead feel inspired by others and what they do — on a regular basis, but especially now — to take care of America’s children. This is why I wanted to talk to some of the foodservice professionals who ensure that the 30 million kids who rely on school meals get fed every single day during the pandemic.
Despite being busier than ever, three of these incredible people spoke with me in late April about the work they’re doing. (I was connected to them via FoodCorps, an organization whose mission is to connect kids to healthy food at school.) Here’s the second, with Amanda Venezia, director of dining services for the Londonderry School District in Merrimack, New Hampshire. (The first Q&A is here.)
When we got on the phone, Venezia was feeding her kids two different kinds of pickles — one of them Vlasic, one of them gherkins. I asked how old the kids were and she said, “I don’t know anymore.” (They’re 4 and 7.)
