Nobody deserves more respect than the school cafeteria workers, or lunch ladies as they are affectionately called at Fredonia-Moccasin Unified School District (FMUSD.)
Nancy Dutton, Shirley Button and Joyce Burch form this amazing trio who feed the students and staff at both the elementary and high school. They are a welcoming and comforting start to the day. The ladies’ day begins at the early morning hour of 6 a.m., where they start to prepare breakfast and afternoon lunch. They whip up delicious breakfasts like biscuits and gravy, egg and sausage burritos and doughnuts, along with superb lunches like chicken noodle soup, pizza and meatball subs.
Their Thanksgiving dinner is legendary and not to be missed! The lunch ladies not only cook delicious food but they deal with all kinds of food allergies, diet, nutrition, equipment and a limited budget. These challenges don’t slow them down in the least, they are professionals who know how to get the job done efficiently and with love. Together their years at FMUSD total a whopping 63 years. Not too shabby!
Nancy, the kitchen manager, tells me that their goal isn’t just to feed students, it’s to let them know that someone loves and cares about them, and to take at least one bite of what’s on their tray.
The ladies plan out the meals for the school calendar a month in advance so there are not many surprises when it comes to what they are making for the day. In the lunchroom however, it’s never the same day twice, it’s controlled chaos with an extra helping of kindness and everybody leaves with a full stomach.
For Halloween, the lunch ladies whipped up a delicious lunch of slimy rocks, crispy toenail, cobweb, blood clots, skeleton bones and beetle juice. Come on over and have Halloween lunch with your student, it’s a meal you won’t soon forget.
FMUSD wants the lunch ladies to know that they are LOVED and APPRECIATED! You are truly the heart of our school! For the complete lunch menu head on over to fredonia.org
