It is no small feat to feed our nation’s children during an average
school year. Add a global pandemic on top of that, and making sure
students are well fed and ready to learn becomes a major challenge.
That is why TITAN—a LINQ Solution-launched Lunchroom
Rockstars, a peer-to-peer nomination program that shines a
spotlight on school nutrition professionals who are making a
significant impact in their districts and communities.
“We wanted a way to honor the hardest working people in the
industry,” said Krista Endsley, CEO of LINQ. “Lunchroom Rockstars
places these stellar individuals directly in the spotlight, giving
nominees the recognition they deserve while also buoying the
perception of nutrition programs everywhere.”
As schools prepare to welcome students in person once again,
there is no time like the present to celebrate the industrious
individuals who fed our children against all odds during the past
18 months. Without further ado, allow us to introduce you the
winners of Lunchroom Rockstars for the ‘20-’21 school year.
Meet the Lunchroom Rockstars of ‘20-’21
Carla Word, River Road ISD
Carla Word, the meat cook and Snack Shack manager for River
Road ISD in Amarillo, Texas, was nominated by a total of five
colleagues, each noting the nominee’s kindness and her passion for
their district’s nutrition program.Arely Diaz, Vice Principal for
River Road Middle School, said she is grateful for Word’s loving
heart each day.
“[Carla] loves the kids like a grandmother would,” Diaz said.
“She is devoted and committed to her work and takes great pride in
serving delicious and quality food to our students.”
Word said she views everyone on campus as one big family, and
that she is fueled by showing each student, coworker, and teacher
the love they deserve.
“My passion is putting love in all the food we prepare for the
children because we do not know their situations at home and if
that will be the only meal they receive that day,” Word said.
Patricia Perez, Medina Valley ISD
Patricia Perez, a Food Service Helper at Medina Valley
ISD in Castroville, Texas, is impassioned to do the work the
does for those students who struggle with food insecurity outside
of school.“Knowing that kids don’t always get food at home is my
main reason [for working in school nutrition],” Perez said. “I’m
fueled by putting our kids first and making sure we give them
quality so that they actually love to come eat [in the
cafeteria].”
Medina Valley ISD Assistant Director of Nutrition Services,
Sandra Speed, said Patricia always comes to work with a positive
attitude and is a great motivator for food service staff
members.
“[Patricia] has wonderful ideas on how to make things work
better and is always up for a challenge,” Speed said. “She is a
true leader in the foodservice industry and continues to learn as
much as she can.”
Christine Clarahan, School City of Hammond
Christine Clarahan, Director of Food and Nutrition
for School City of Hammond, Indiana, stepped up with a reduced
team to continue feeding students as COVID-19 closed their schools.
According to No Kid Hungry, Clarahan's team struggled
with staffing shortages and a reduced number of serving sites. And
yet, they continued serving breakfast and lunch three times a week
to 2,400 students a day.“There is nothing more important to me than
meeting the most basic needs of children – nourishing their growing
bodies,” Clarahan said. ”I have worked in a variety of settings
with children and have seen children who have experienced true
hunger. Once you see that, you will do anything to end it.”
It’s Clarahan’s drive to ameliorate child hunger and food
insecurity in her community is what makes her a true Lunchroom
Rockstar. She said was raised to be all in when she is
passionate about something.
“My family raised me to put 100% into whatever I am passionate
about in life – and I am passionate about making sure that no kid
goes hungry in my community,” Clarahan said. “I continue to strive
to do my best each day to “walk the walk” and be an example for my
team.”
Join us to Celebrate Lunchroom Rockstars at LINQ’D
UP
After a long, arduous year for school nutrition professionals,
it is time to have some fun! We are celebrating the Lunchroom
Rockstars at an event called LINQ’D UP sponsored
by LINQ, NxtGen Network and Tyson. LINQ’D
UP is on July 16 from 5-7pm EST.
Marlon Gordon, Owner and CEO of NxtGen Network, emphasized the
importance of recognizing the number of school nutrition teams that
persevered during the pandemic.
"Child Nutrition has proved to be capable of adapting and even
evolving under trying times and we are excited to honor those that
have the passion and grit to feed children across the country,"
Gordon said.
Jen Smith, a Customer Development Manager K-12 for Tyson Foods,
noted she is excited to connect with school nutrition
administrators once again.
“We have had to really change how we connect with administrators
in a meaningful way over the past year,” Smith said. “LINQ’D UP
offers us the unique opportunity to provide educational content to
school nutrition professionals in a virtual and in-person
environment.”
LINQ’D UP is a hybrid networking event specifically for school
nutrition professionals. During this free, live-streamed event, we
will honor and highlight each of the Lunchroom Rockstars winners.
Plus, there will be games, huge giveaways, and more.
Click here to learn more about LINQ’D UP.
About LINQLINQ is the invisible engine
that powers stronger schools.For over 25 years, our
mission has been to empower the everyday heroes who make K-12
districts and schools stronger. Combining best-in-class technology
with industry-leading expertise, we help school administrators rise
to the challenges of today, while building the foundation for a
better tomorrow. Improving efficiency, optimizing performance, and
managing compliance through our suite of administrative, financial,
and nutritional solutions to help you make a bigger impact for your
staff, students and communities. To find out more about LINQ’s
integrated suite, visit LINQ.com or follow us
on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
About NxtGen NetworkNxtGen Network is a
creative agency built on relationships that is passionate about
telling stories and empowering others through innovation. To find
out more about NxtGen Network, visit nxtgennetwork.com or follow
them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
About Tyson FoodsTyson Foods, Inc., (NYSE: TSN)
is one of the world’s largest food companies and a recognized
leader in protein. Founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson and grown under
three generations of family leadership, the company has a broad
portfolio of products and brands like Tyson®, Jimmy Dean®,
Hillshire Farm®, Ball Park®, Wright®, Aidells®, ibp®, and State
Fair®. Tyson Foods innovates continually to make protein more
sustainable, tailor food for everywhere it’s available and raise
the world’s expectations for how much good food can do.
Headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, United States, the company
has 139,000 team members. Through its Core Values, Tyson Foods
strives to operate with integrity, create value for its
shareholders, customers, communities and team members and serve as
a steward of the animals, land and environment entrusted to
it. To learn more about Tyson, visit TysonFoods.com or follow
them on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.
Nisha Bagepalli LINQ nbagepalli@linq.com
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/637e46e1-16ce-446b-93d0-0c5eb88d52fe
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3031d3c1-8c30-4341-aa80-e5025ea10350
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c8aecbb5-c96b-4c00-b07d-3b1aeb528265
Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jun 2024 to Jul 2024
Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jul 2023 to Jul 2024