Harrison County School District celebrates School Lunch Hero Day

Today is National School Lunch Hero Day and students at Bel Aire Elementary in Gulfport celebrated by making the day special for food service workers at the school.

Bel Aire Elementary Cafeteria Manager Tammy Marion said, “Our school is a big, unified school. I like what they say from the bus drivers to the cafeteria, we make this school work.”

A flood of students at Bel-Aire Elementary crowded around the school’s cafeteria workers with lots of hugs and cards for National School Lunch Hero Day, displaying their appreciation for those to keep them fed through the day. “Just when I have the students come through and just say ‘hey, miss tammy,’ and so that makes me feel good.”

Bel-Aire Elementary is one of many schools across the nation celebrating the big day. Recently, cafeteria workers at the school have helped students grow food in the school’s garden as they learn more about proper nutrition.

Marion says aside from providing food for students, their main objective is to be a shining light in students breaks from class. “For them to be able to come into a school and I tell my ladies that you never know what these kids are facing at home. The first thing that they face in the morning is a smiling face. You don’t know what it was like for them to get here. So, I can say that when the kids come through, the kids really have a smiling face and they know that they’re loved and they can start their day off good.”

Across the Harrison County School District, schools serve nearly 30,000 meals each day at 24 cafeterias. Several schools have received the Federal Healthier U.S. School Challenge Awards and Competitive Grants for additional fresh fruit and vegetable snacks throughout the day.