When the cafeteria staff at AIM Academy were told that they would have a Day of Service, they immediately thought of giving back to the Vetri Foundation’s Eatiquette program. Having been a partner of the Foundation since 2012, they understand the effort that goes into serving fresh, healthy meals in schools and thought it would be a good way to give back, as well as possibly learn something new in the process.
We set them up to help out at Global Leadership Academy Charter School, another Eatiquette partner school serving nearly 800 students — much larger than AIM’s population of around 300 students.
“Everything just takes longer,” said Jesse, a chef at AIM. “Tasks, like setting up the trays, that would usually take me less than 15 minutes to do, required more time and more people to complete.”
The size of the school wasn’t the only difference — the kitchen equipment varied. Rachel, another chef at AIM, said that while AIM has a sprawling stovetop that would make preparing the day’s turkey bolognese sauce a breeze, she was envious of GLA’s oven, which quickly and evenly roasted the broccoli so it was perfectly cooked, but crispy.
AIM’s staff even got a chance to get out of the kitchen and sit down with GLA students for lunch. Most of the students offered up their opinions of the meal — the pasta and broccoli were favorites from last year — and asked for seconds.
All in all, they had a great experience helping out at another partner school. They sent us this note after:
“It was our absolute pleasure and privilege to work with Amy and the staff at Global Leadership Academy. It was inspiring to work with such a dedicated, hard-working group of people. It was really great to see how a much larger school runs the Eatiquette program. Sitting, conversing and getting the youngest students to try the pasta, broccoli and cinnamon apples/peaches was definitely a highlight. The kids were awesome!!
