Oregon Food Service Director Dedicates More Than 33 Years to Students’ Health
Lynne Shore, Food Service Director at the Willamina School District, OR, has been recognized for her work providing students healthy and unique school meals for over 30 years. The non-profit School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) has recognized Lynne as one of five national School Nutrition Heroes for 2018.
Nominated by her peers, Lynne was chosen by SNF to represent the many professionals who have dedicated their lives to serving the needs of school children and the community. 2018 School Nutrition Heroes hail from all over the United States.
In addition to making sure students have healthy school meals to choose from, Lynne has dedicated more than 33 years to creating an overall healthy environment for her district’s students. She has held fundraisers to purchase bicycles and helmets for students to ride to and from school, coordinated costume drives for playtime in local children’s hospitals, and collected stuffed animal donations for the state police to help comfort children in traumatic situations.
She has collected clothes and supplies for children in need. Serving as a Homeless Youth Liaison, she fills backpacks with family meal supplies for students to take home over the weekend. Lynne has also organized free spring and summer food box programs that have benefitted families of students in need of a healthy meal during break when school is out.
“Every chance she gets, Lynne engages the students. She teaches nutrition in a fun way so that our students will use these good eating habits for a lifetime,” said Debra Eisele, Executive Secretary for Willamina School District. “She holds Iron Chef competitions each year. The students love them, and they so look forward to the competitions. She and her staff work tirelessly to give our students the best meals possible. Her annual Halloween costumes are always food related and over the top! The kids love her and her enthusiasm even more!”
On her days off, Lynne can often still be found in the school kitchen making meals for clubs and athletes. One of her traditions is to make breakfast for the district’s football players to help ensure their day starts off great, hopefully resulting in a win for the team. She thinks of the school and its students as its own community, where if one succeeds, they all succeed.
Lynne can be found at the crack of dawn on Christmas mornings in the school kitchen, helping a local restaurant to warm up over 600 free meals for community members and shut-ins in need of a Christmas miracle.
“Lynne’s dedication to her position as a Food Service Director reaches far above and beyond. She genuinely cares for each and every student in her district and that is well reflected through her actions – making her an ideal School Nutrition Hero,” said School Nutrition Association CEO Patricia Montague, CAE.
All of the 2018 School Nutrition Heroes will be recognized at SNF’s Celebration of School Nutrition Heroes, during School Nutrition Association’s 46th Legislative Action Conference in Washington, DC in March. The annual Celebration is SNF’s signature and sole fundraising event to support the Foundation’s education, research and scholarships for school nutrition professionals.
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