Pizza Drama

I knew I should not have done it. The minute I did, I felt a pang of regret. I had volunteered to take over a position within the PAC. (Parent Advisory Council). I had my hand raised, and suddenly I was given the job. The job of Hot Lunch coordinator.

It was a job I felt confident enough to do. Seriously, how hard is it to make up monthly menus, add up the orders on a spreadsheet, contact our Vendors, and place the orders? I figured it would take just a few hours, my time.Then, on any given Monday or Wednesday 150 kids or so would have a hot meal. There were other people in charge of buying drinks and fruit, and organizing volunteers to help serve the food from the school’s kitchen, and as long as I remembered to specify delivery times to our vendors everything should be fine. There are a core of dedicated women who show up precisely at 11:30 am on Hot Lunch days, and within 30 minutes, most, if not all hot lunch has been served to the correct class, desk, and student. It is a well oiled machine. Rather impressive if it runs smoothly.

And it has, relatively speaking. I had a few phone calls about orders being misplaced, (according to the past co-ordinator , not unusual). There was a delivery mix up where the milk was delivered too early, and some students helped themselves, making us short on hot lunch day. Then the tacos arrived coolish- I say this loosely, because I wasn’t there. One of the volunteers absolutely freaked and went on about how if the health authorities happen to show up that we’d be shut down because they were not the right serving temperature.

I almost laughed out loud as I watched her face turn red with fury. I could not tell if she was upset about that, or the fact that the Vendor forgot the hot sauce. The health inspector has yet to show up, and didn’t on that day. Besides, the tacos were eaten without much ado. Still, it was enough drama for one Monday.

Our school has hot lunch twice a week. Mondays, and Wednesdays. On Wednesdays we always serve pizza. Three kinds: Ham and Pineapple, Pepperoni, and Veggie. It comes with a drink and some fruit. On Mondays it varies, Lasagna, Sub sandwiches, tacos and hot dogs. Our hot lunch program is a fund raiser for our school. It has in the past generated quite a bit of money. But since the new legislation for Food in BC Schools, there have been weeks where it is more like providing a service. Adhering to these new guidelines is not optional, and we do our best. It was the job of the previous coordinator to figure out what vendors were willing to work with us within the guidelines, and still make money for the school. It came down to the choices that were offered on our menu. Pizza, for example became a whole wheat crust, and toppings. The serving size is one slice, smaller than what we used to serve, and therefore we’ve added some fruit and a yogurt tube to round off the meal. It’s not the greatest according to some kids, but within the guidelines, it works.

For most of the kids and the parents, they enjoy hot lunch. The kids enjoy a break from the same old sandwiches, and the parents have a break from making lunches. I have often received notes on the bottom or an order form from a parent or two: Thanks for making mornings a little less hectic, or Thank you for all you do. They are notes of appreciation which make me thankful I put up my hand and took on this job.

While compiling the orders for December I came across a note scrawled across the bottom of a form, and I knew once again that not everyone was pleased. It read:

[My Daughter ] used to enjoy the pizza but she finds it is only one piece and is usually cold by the time she gets it. So she doesn’t want it anymore. Just thought you’d like to feel bad. Thanks for the service!

On behalf of myself and the other dedicated volunteers: Get your hand up. Get your ass

to the school at 11:30 and help out. We will not feel bad for one second, so suck it up Princess!