The bell rings, you exit your math class, eager to be the first in line. You greet the lunch attendant, enter your school ID and get ready to munch on a delicious spicy chicken sandwich. Although, have you ever stopped to wonder how that food got on your plate in the first place?
There are many aspects to school lunch. From what kind of food is served, to the storing compartments and transportation required to provide it. Yet, Middle College High School has its own way to provide students the delicious school food they deserve. We begin at West Express, the facility where every MCHS student receives their nutrition.
Middle College High School’s principal Damon Voight explains how he worked with SAC to allow students to receive their food at West Express.
“Dr. Nery, [SAC’s President], has directed me to work with Dr. Hoffman, Vice President of Facilities at SAC to complete an agreement for us to use the Express West Kiosk,” Voight said.
Voight explains how he receives the school food from another place, and how the district pays for the whole thing.
“[School lunch] gets delivered by truck from another site. It doesn’t affect our school budget as we don’t pay for the food or trucks, the district does,” Voight said.
Middle College’s lunch coordinator, Mario Nieto, elaborates on how he orders all the school food through another high school, trying to order the ideal foods that the students like best.
“Normally we get all our food from Century High School. I make an order one week ahead of how many lunches we need… I think about what students like more and I try to order more of that food. That is how it works,” Nieto said.
Not all food is eaten by Middle College students, which leaves the question of what happens to the excess food? Voight explains the procedures followed to avoid extra food and what happens if they aren’t eaten.
“Uneaten food can be placed in the black extra food bins for other students to take. Mario [Nieto] also asks students to come take any extra food we have left over. The food not eaten is thrown away,” Voight said.
While it’s quite depressing seeing a lot of food being wasted, Nieto explains how he has to order more food than usual to avoid a lunch shortage.
“I try to do my best. I try to order enough, but all the time I need to order a little bit extra because I don’t want anyone to go hungry … I prefer to lose three or four lunches, than have somebody go hungry,” Nieto said.
Nieto continues to explain the hardest part of delivering school meals and how a small structure change will make the process easier.
“The hardest part [of delivering school food] is when it’s raining. You guys get wet, I get wet, and, you know, we don’t have any kitchen… If we put a roof right here, that way you won’t get wet, you won’t get hit by the sun, and it will be alright,” Nieto said.
While this is an unfortunate issue, Voight explains how Middle College has to have pre packed food, contrary to having heaters or coolers like other high schools.
“Our food has been pre-packed to stay safe to travel to us. Other schools may have heaters or ovens to keep fresh food at the correct temperature over a period of time without going below temperature and [to avoid] people [getting] sick,” Voight said.
Fortunately, Voight continues to explain that he plans to extend his agreement with SAC to allow the use of the inside of Express West, as well as utilizing heaters and coolers to improve the quality of meals served.
“Our future plans are to make an agreement with SAC to use the inside of the Express West and have heaters and coolers to serve fresher and more variety of food for breakfast and lunch,” Voight said.
As school food continues to evolve, it is important to take in consideration the efforts that Voight, Nieto and the entire school lunch industry have made to provide you with delicious nutritious meals. So next time you receive a school meal, feel grateful for the work done to ensure you won’t go hungry, then get ready to chow down!
