Lunch Ladies

The environment of a school cafeteria, especially in elementary and middle school, can be one of isolation. Unpopular kids often eat alone, and those with a lack of funds don't eat at all. Lunch Ladies make all the difference.

Thank God my oldest two were never shunned at school, and the youngest one didn't care if you liked her or not. As for funds, we were fortunate in that regard as well, but it didn't really matter because I loved making homemade lunches. Something about it felt right.

Lunch Ladies feel that, too. Unfortunately, they are stuck in a system of politics and dogma, so they do the best they can with what they have. They dole out food with warm smiles and "hey baby!" along with extra portions for those who might not have had breakfast

My favorite aunt was a Lunch Lady: Ida "Cookie" Minor. My mother's sister and confidante. Man, could they cut up together! The shrieks and laughs and "remember that time.." were always generous and ever- flowing.

My Aunt Cookie shined in the kitchen, and her food was made with love. Like every much-needed cafeteria mom, she served with a light-hearted gladness, and she was always a warm place to land.

Every year when we traveled back to Virginia with my parents, I loved when she got off work, and I could get a glimpse of her. I say “a glimpse” because this was back in the "kids were seen and not heard" era. The last time I saw my aunt was in the summer of '96. I traveled with my husband and my three children–the same way my parents had done with me and my sisters over and over again.

It was an intentional road trip. My sister, Yvette, fried some chicken (just the way my mom used to do), and I tried really hard to find some Wonder Bread…to no avail. It took every bit of three days, no hotel stays, and an automobile issue. 

.I couldn't wait for my kids to meet Aunt Cookie. It was exactly as I wanted it to be. By this time, her mobility was impaired by MS, but she still had that Lunch Lady smile, the warmth, and so much love.

Transportation is of no charge to students. School books either. So why are we charging them for school lunches? The stigma of the haves and the have-nots often starts as early as kindergarten. And that is where women like my Aunt Cookie come in. I love these unsung heroes.

My aunt passed away in 2000. In the end, it was cancer and not MS that took her away from her family. Thank God for the lives she touched. At home and in the cafeteria.