BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear surgical masks and others wear hairnets.
“Thank you lunch ladies. We appreciate and miss you. Stay safe,” some Depew staff members said in a video to their kitchen staff.
May first is national lunch hero day and food service workers all throughout Western New York have been recognized.
“We’re kind of the unsung heroes in the background and then all of a sudden there’s one day to just celebrate what we do. And it’s very heartfelt it means a lot to us," Barbara Albi, food service director for Depew Union Free School District said.
Food service workers work year round to provide healthy and nutritious meals for students in the Western New York area. And amid the COVID-19 pandemic, none of that has changed.
“We’re just very grateful that we’re part of being the frontline and that we’re being acknowledged for it because they really are doing good good work,” Bridget O’Brien Wood, food service director for the Buffalo Public Schools said.
“It’s amazing the compassion that they have for our school community and the kids. That’s why they’re doing this. They’re doing it for our children,” Depew Superintendent Jeffrey Rabey adds.
And while these lunch ladies' daily routines are a little different now, Wood says they are just happy to serve the community.
“They do miss those young faces, but they’re happy to see that some of the families are coming in and giving them messages from students that they miss," she said.
“I got a phone call from a little girl yesterday...and she was telling me about how she loves the bagels and she misses here and it was just so sweet to know that the kids really care about us too and we care about them,” Albi adds.
The Depew Union Free School District has given out 600 to 700 breakfast and lunch meals every day, The Buffalo Public School District gives out 12,000 to 13,000.
“It’s been a challenge but we all feel so fulfilled and happy that we can do this to help our community and our children,” Albi said.
