Student Volunteers Show Appreciation to Food Servers

Seventh and eighth-graders in Donegal Junior High School (PA) found a hands-on way to recognize the friendly faces in their school cafeteria last month. Members of the Builders Club, a student-led organization providing opportunities to perform service, build character and develop leadership skills, asked their advisor if they could volunteer with the Donegal School District nutrition team and assist them with lunch and breakfast service.

The Builders Club, a middle school division of the Key Club, used the national theme of “Be Kind to Food Servers Month” to show their appreciation for the nutrition team for the second year in a row.

“When we started talking about the projects they were going to do this year, the students immediately said they wanted to help out in the cafeteria,” said Lori Ann Walmer, Builders Club Advisor, Donegal School District. “It was one of the most popular volunteering events the students took part in during the previous school year.”

The students’ requests to volunteer in the school cafeteria in January coincided with a district contest to promote the availability for all students to receive free breakfast. The statewide free breakfast program in Pennsylvania started earlier in the school year and has been well received within the student community.

“So far this year, we have served more than 5,600 additional breakfasts and we are seeing a large jump in student participation,” said Kelly Price, Director of Food Services for Donegal School District. 

The students took their volunteer work seriously, helping to decorate the cafeteria before the promotion of the Governor’s School Breakfast Challenge took place on their service day.

“It was great; they talked up the meal with their friends and made sure their friends saw them in action,” said Price. “We had volunteers punch the contest cards in the ‘Governor’s School Breakfast Challenge’ for each student coming through the breakfast lines.”

Nutrition team members enjoyed having the students join them in the cafeteria. Price said it gave them a chance to get to know some of the students they serve even better. 

The students provided positive feedback on their experience volunteering in the cafeteria, expressing interest in finding another time to show their appreciation by helping out again. As Donegal Junior High School prepares to celebrate National School Breakfast Week in March, students may have more opportunities to be part of the action in the cafeteria!