No need for a cape when you have an apron

School lunches (and breakfast) have always been an important service at Maricopa Unified School District, but the closures caused by COVID-19 placed the Child Nutrition Department squarely in the spotlight.

Friday is the eighth annual School Lunch Hero Day, a chance to showcase the difference school nutrition professionals make for every child.

The department worked around the clock during spring break to mobilize meal distribution centers at all nine campuses that provide breakfast and lunch Grab-and-Go meals for children in the community aged 18 and younger. By the end of this week, employees will have served more than 120,000 meals, and that number continues to grow.

“I am amazed at their dedication – not only for the hard work they do during regular school days, but during this time, I am particularly amazed,” Child Nutrition Director Suzette Moe said. “They put these meals together and stand outside every day to deliver them to students. It can be a thankless job at times, and I don’t think everyone understands the hard work they do. I am so proud of each one of them.”

These “School Lunch Heroes” remind every that beginning May 4, meal distribution hours will be 9-11 a.m. at all schools. The distribution times for the mobile location at Mountain View Community Church will remain 10 a.m.-noon.