School Meals Are a Daily Lifeline
See them in action at one Mississippi elementary school
School meals are a daily lifeline for millions of families who cannot afford consistent, nutritious meals for every member of their household. This is especially true at this particular moment, when inflation is at an all time high and many families across the country have seen their emergency SNAP benefits drastically reduced.
Nobody knows the reality of this more than Teresa McGhee.
Teresa, or “Ms. McGhee” as she’s known by her students, is the Cafeteria Manager at George H. Oliver Elementary School in Clarksdale, Mississippi, home of the Wild Kittens. She knows the power of school meals in transforming the lives of children.
Teresa has worked in the food service industry for 17 years, the last 6 of which have been at George H. Oliver. She was born and raised in Clarksdale, Mississippi and originally got into this line of work because of her love of cooking. “I found my passion in cooking. It comes so naturally because I’ve been doing it so long,” she said.
As the Cafeteria Manager, she’s responsible for sourcing all of the school’s food and overseeing the cooking. Despite being responsible for so much, she knows every single child’s name and if they have dietary restrictions. She also makes it her mission for kids to try new vegetables, and is usually successful just by asking them to “Do it for me.” The kids of George H. Oliver truly feel seen and heard by her. “You see it brighten their eyes,” she said, recalling how students feel when she remembers their name.
Teresa is keenly aware that the majority of the students’ nutrition is coming from school, not from home. In fact, her and her team provided to-go meals during COVID lockdowns, because otherwise, “kids would have gone hungry,” she said. The Mississippi Delta, where George H. Oliver is located, has some of the highest rates of food insecurity in the entire country, and many residents have to travel 20 miles just to get to a grocery store. 95% of students at the school receive free or reduced-price school lunch.
Teresa says that she can tell if one of the kids is particularly hungry and will make sure that child gets extra food, even if they show up after breakfast has closed. When a child was taking breakfast home in his backpack so his sister could eat, she gave that child extra. “They know if they come to me, I’ll always give them something to eat,” she said.
Teresa is helping to care for the children in her community. PHA believes that every family, in every zip code in America should have access to good food - and that access shouldn’t depend on the season. To make that our reality, we must follow her lead and demand a food system that works for all of us.
We hope you’ll visit our summer hunger landing page to learn more about how we’re ending summer hunger and check out our action center for how you can get involved. Together, we can provide food to families when they need it most.
Our Work In Motion
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Renovation and Revitalization of Mississippi Delta Community Improves Access to and Visibility of Local Fruits and Vegetables
A renovation project focusing on a locally-owned corner store, alongside the revitalization of public spaces in Clarksdale, Mississippi seeks to provide access to fruits and vegetables and build healthy food systems in the Delta.
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Filling the Summer Food Gap One Family At A Time
In the summer, millions of children lose access to meals they typically get at school, and family food budgets are stretched thin. That’s what’s called the summer food gap — and it can have devastating, long-term consequences for children. One way PHA is helping to fill the summer food gap is through our Good Food for All produce box program which provides families facing barriers to access with 50 servings of fresh and high quality fruits and vegetables for 12 weeks.
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Indianapolis Mayor, Instacart, and Partnership for a Healthier America Celebrate Expanded Nutrition Security Program Connecting Indianapolis Families with Nutritious Food
New Instacart technology connects families in need with free food delivery and monthly funds to spend on produce. Kicking off in Indianapolis, new Instacart and PHA partnership to bring Fresh Funds to cities across the country.
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Taking SNAP Benefits from Families Perpetuates a Cycle of Inequitable Access
As PHA works with partners across every sector to improve Food Equity - from the charitable food system to local, state and the Federal government - it's important to protect critical programs like SNAP that help millions of families access nutritious good food every day. That's why we were so disappointed to see the reduction to benefits starting March 1, that cut monthly food benefits as much as 40% for many working families and seniors on fixed incomes that rely on the program.
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Food Equity Bright Spot: Lincoln, Nebraska
Partnership for a Healthier America has launched its Food Equity Opportunity Map, highlighting where improving access to good food would make the greatest impact and allowing everyone to see what Food Equity looks like in their community for the first time. This blog is part of an ongoing effort to highlight bright spots around the country where PHA is working to increase equitable access to good food.