Focused on Flagler Schools
Focused on Flagler Schools
Food and Nutrition Services: It's Not All About the Lunch Lady
We sit down with Angela Bush, Director of Food and Nutrition Services with Flagler Schools. We talk about how her department reaches out beyond our campus sites to keep our entire community fed. We also talk about why it's so important for those who qualify for free and reduced lunch need to register, even if our meals are given out at no charge to everyone.
More information on our Food and Nutrition Services department can be found here.
An Irish proverb says laughter is brightest in the place where food is. Today., we're talking food. This is Focused on Flagler Schools. I'm Jason Wheeler, Community Information Specialist with Flagler Schools. And want to share the achievements and challenges facing our students, teachers and staff right here in Flagler County, Florida. So let's dive right in. Angie Bush joins us now for this edition. And she is our Director of Food and Nutrition Services. Welcome, first.
Angela Bush:Thank you, Jason.
Jason Wheeler:Tell us your journey to Flagler Schools. Because I always ask everybody who comes on, you know, how did you get here? So how did you get to Flagler Schools?
Angela Bush:Through a food service route, interestingly. I went to school to be a veterinarian, and then ended up in the hospitality management, career class, or curriculum. And I did some time in restaurants, I've done time at the college level with student food service. And then I moved to Florida, my family moved to Florida 17 or 18 years ago, and applied for a job in the school district within food service. And here I am.
Jason Wheeler:Director of running the whole thing, right? The whole show?
Angela Bush:Yeah.
Jason Wheeler:Tell us a little bit because, you know, parents who haven't been on the campus in a while, even if you don't have a child in school, and you haven't been on a campus before, it's...you go into a cafeteria lunch room. And it's a lot different. A lot same, but there's a lot different than if you were in school 20 years ago.What is the overview of your department and what happens in these cafeterias?
Angela Bush:I think the biggest differences over the last 20 years and remembering being a student in high school at one time, it's really tailored more as a as a operation that we want the schools, not something we have to be there for the students. But we want the students to come and partake and participate in our programs. So the focus over the last 20 years has turned from just putting whatever out because the students are a captive audience, to really enticing them to come and participate with us. So namebrand foods, giving them options, allowing them to choose some things each day. And in some of the schools you've seen, and maybe some of our listeners have seen, they're almost set up as food courts, the high schools are, so they've got a lot of options. I think that's the biggest change, it's more of, it's more of a business, to draw them in rather than to than to just expect them to come and eat with us.
Jason Wheeler:I know when I was in high school was a big deal when they offered...when they opened up a salad bar. But now I mean, salad bar is like just one of five options in a high school. Just crazy. Now food services, it's more than just what is on our campus as you are you are out..I mean truly a fabric of our Flagler County community. We're wrapping up this school year. But that doesn't mean your mission is ending. You guys are 12 month mission, is it not?
Angela Bush:It is. We, even pre COVID where we operated the summer feeding program. So as long as I've been here, we've been feeding students year round. It just came to light, I think and I don't think many people knew about it until COVID hit that, and we went out to more places in the community with that food and with that service. So it's been the same. COVID changed things a little bit for us and has made things different than we've ever known it before. But we are getting ready to roll into summer and this summer, as you know, with all of the programs and the the robust learning environments that we're creating for our students, this summer it's gonna be it's gonna be even different from last summer and bigger than we've experienced in the past.
Jason Wheeler:I've asked a few people this question, what did you learn from last...this last year and last summer? Because really, once our schools shut down, Spring Break last year, you guys had about a week and then let's..we've got to...we've got a figure out how to feed these people.
Angela Bush:We actually didn't. Our staff came back on their spring break when they were not supposed to be.
Jason Wheeler:I forgot about that.
Angela Bush:Yeah, so we didn't even have a week. We came back when everybody else had a week and put food, you know, got food...made food available to our students because we were concerned about spring break even at that time and what they would have available to them. So yeah, we...
Jason Wheeler:So standing that up for from Spring Break the last three months of school and then rolling right into a summer program, which is basically what you were doing for those three months just a little bit bigger. Yes. And then rolling into this school year and then rolling into another. It's been a long, long journey for you and your staff.
Angela Bush:It has been a long journey. There's been a lot of lessons, I will tell you personally for me, one thing I've learned is that my staff is resilient. And I went into last spring, or when when COVID first hit me for shut down, I was terrified that, of how to even lead a team that was terrified of our environment and everything that was around us. And wow, did they step up just in ways that I don't even, I've just been amazed by them. And they continue to do so. And they continue to roll with the punches and not even punches. But just we start down one road one week, and then all of a sudden, we're turned in 180 degrees to go a different way, which is the way the world has been, but they've rolled with it and they've been fine with sometimes weekly changes in our operations.
Jason Wheeler:We forget being in Florida, because it's been kind of semi-open pretty much the whole time. But back then that...that a year ago, that spring break, and then afterwards, everybody was hunkered down yet, you all were masking up and going and gloving up and going out, you were...you know, sometimes probably the only people on the road. But I and I was able to, uh, to go along with you guys on a couple of Fridays. And and and to see that turnout and the interaction and and these families thanking you all for that. I mean, you're not prepared for that. And that's not why you did it. But that's got to leave a mark on you.
Angela Bush:It does. And again, to give kudos to my staff just seeing there. Even though they were nervous, even though ever all of us were in on charted territory, in our programs and operations they were they took pleasure and riding the buses out to the remote sites or to the outer lying sites or standing on the curb side in the heat, they really took pleasure in it, and tried to make it a very positive experience for our families.
Jason Wheeler:So let's talk the Summer Food operations. Again, because we are drawing down this school year. So you're obviously planning for June. And on. How does this work? Who can take part? Is it just school kids, it's because it really does encompass the entire community.
Angela Bush:It does. And the Summer Program, which we're going to continue, we rolled through the school year with it, we're going to roll into summer with the summer program. And that really encompasses all all children 18 and under. And that it's still, that's still the rule. That's still the guideline. What makes it tricky for us is having is maneuvering the schools and school security, the campuses and the different camps and clubs and things and trying to maintain all of those pieces. So this summer, not unlike any other summer, we're going to support the kids and the students that are at the schools for the various activities. And then we're still to be determined the times, dates and locations. But we're still going to have a community pickup site or sites if we can, we're going to start small and expand because I'm a little bit nervous about going. We have limited staff, a staff members this summer. That's one of our challenges. So I'm a little bit concerned with making creating too big of a program that we can't maintain. So we're going to start smaller, and then as we see need or as as the community gives me feedback or gives the district feedback, we'll certainly adapt as we can.
Jason Wheeler:Because you want to help everybody.
Angela Bush:No matter I mean, realistically, I would love to stand up everything we did last summer and support the district's programs as well. I'm just not sure that we're going to have the resources, resources being people to do the so.
Jason Wheeler:So I warn everybody when you see that, that come out, and it's going to be out in a few I imagine a few weeks, don't get discouraged if it's not in your neighborhood, Angie and her staff, like they did last year you really did like it, let's see where we are I actually need and we think we know where we need to be. But you're able to move around if need be so so it may not be the first week, but maybe week two, we'll see. And you mentioned that you know some other challenges with this with this summer program.
Angela Bush:Probably our biggest challenge or other biggest challenge right now is just our food supply chain. It's amazing how things like a ship in the Suez Canal or cardboard shortages or aluminum shortages. I don't I don't think you think about that. But it does impact our program. So what we're seeing now are some food substitutions that we aren't planning on trays are not available, things like that, that make it a little trickier. So that we're just keeping an eye on that and doing the best we can but I know it frustrates our parents sometimes when we have menus posted or we say this is what's going to be available and then it's not because if their students don't like the alternative and they thought they were gonna get pizza and it's a burger instead. And I understand that it's it's been tough this year. What you saw at the grocery stores early on in COVID with the shelves empty and saying one per customer we've we are feeling that too and we're trying to do our best to work through those challenges.
Jason Wheeler:And you're working through supplies. You know, months and months ahead and and you guys are having trouble with this.
Angela Bush:The other thing that's going to happen and going into the fall I know we didn't jump to talk about fall yet. But we've already been more in there's a truck driver shortage. And we've also been warned that with new schools coming online, you know, we've been open some, some districts in other states haven't. Yeah, they do. They do put pressure on that food supply chain. They're drawing from the same suppliers and the same manufacturers that we are here in Florida. So when those schools come back online, again, in August or September, that it might be a little bit tough, because the manufacturers aren't all up to 100% production capacity yet.
Jason Wheeler:And on top of that, if we have a hurricane out in the air, you guys have to be ready for that as well. So why not? That bit, that segues into fall, because again, that's something you, you and your staff are tasked as well. And I hate to bring up the H word, but it's we are in Florida. And we have we had a kind of a dry run. A pandemic hurricane forced fortunately we didn't get hit and we didn't have to open up shelters. But it is I mean, you again, you're planning, not just 24 hours out when something like that you're talking, you know, and with this supply chain that stressed Oh, I don't envy you and your staff at all?
Unknown:Oh,
Angela Bush:No, it just it just makes it tough hurricanes. Hurricanes have always been a little bit of a challenge, getting ready for shelters and feeding our community in that respect.
Jason Wheeler:Because that's not just kids, because that's that's the community come in. Yeah.
Angela Bush:Adults...
Jason Wheeler:More coffee.
Angela Bush:Coffee and cookies. Honestly, if we can keep the coffee and cookies rolling, usually that keeps everyone happy.
Jason Wheeler:You can solve all the world's problems with coffee and cookies.
Unknown:Yeah, well think about that when it comes Jason.
Jason Wheeler:I know. One of the news items that came out this year was the fact that there was no charge for our lunches. And we've already done no charge for breakfast. And we've got word late this year that the US government's going to continue this in the next fall, which is great for parents. Yes, who are you know, many of our parents are struggling and this is welcome. But with that, we miss out on gathering those families who may qualify for free-reduced.
Angela Bush:We do. One thing that we saw this past year, because all of the meals were free, as many of our families didn't see a need that would qualify, I didn't see a need to apply. And unfortunately, some some of our programs that that are available to the students, they depend on those numbers. So if there's not an application on file, we can't share the number. It doesn't exist, even though we know some of our families would qualify in a normal year. So I would just we're going to continue to put messaging out from the district and from cafe Edu food services to make sure that families that do qualify, even though meals will be free again this year, that is out and we're happy to have that opportunity to do that again. But we definitely are going to encourage our families to apply that would qualify to apply. Again, if they haven't just so that things like e-rate ACT and SAT testing, refunds..not refunds, discount rebates, rebates, those things will be available to the students that need them.
Jason Wheeler:Because there's a lot tied into that number. And districts we we receive extra funds as well as depending on and, and attention based on your free/reduced numbers. And and we know out there that there has to be probably an increased number of people who qualify this upcoming year because it has been a very, very rough year for so many people here in Flagler County.
Angela Bush:It has and I wanted to take this moment to mention the pandemic EBT monies that are out there and becoming available to parents that we do not provide that program, we do not operate it, however we support it. So I would just let parents know that are looking into that. Obviously, you're not going to go through us for the application process. But if there's something that we can do to help get information to DCF to the the organizations that are helping are providing that we're happy to do it, just contact us and we'll do whatever we can to get whatever information to them that they need.
Jason Wheeler:Finally, before I let you go in, you talked about it a little a few seconds ago, but it's so hard you know food nutrition services doesn't really roll off the tongue. So you guys rebranded last year Cafe Edu so people may see this on social media, see it on the website. What is Cafe Edu? How did this come about? it I like it.
Angela Bush:Thank you. That was that was our I don't want to say downtime. But you know, obviously the the pandemic shut things down. And so we did have some time to really reflect and sit in and look at where we're at where we want to go, what we're really doing. So cafe Edu is our brand. We're working to make that a stronger brand and get that out there a little bit more. But you know, really what it is Jason, beyond that what we are, we're 100 and some odd people that are here to the children, support our students support our schools support our community as best we can. And I mean, I don't know, we don't have a lot of time to go through all of it. But some of the pieces of our strategic plan for the upcoming year are building relationships. That's probably one of the top things that I'm working with my staff on. Because if you don't have the relationships, that you know, a lot of other things just fall apart from there, that's the most important thing we can do is build effective relationships with our parents with our community with one another. And then of course, operating efficiently decreasing costs as we can, increasing our revenue potential, creating a more robust employment lifecycle. I love what our Employee of the Year Josh Walker has, in his tagline, for an HR says from hire to fire, there's a lot we can do a lot better with our employees careers here with the district and training, developing future leaders. And then one thing that's near and dear to my heart is is being valuable to our community. And before COVID, I want I really wanted to reduce, reuse, recycle. And we were working on getting rid of Styrofoam, plastics and things and then we just went so far backwards with that. So that get trying to get that initiative back in gear to not be throwing things into our oceans since we live right on it. Right. And then food waste and our Farm to School program, I think we can do a lot better with with those initiatives as well. So that's kind of us in a nutshell.
Jason Wheeler:I think the upcoming school year is probably going to be the year of the reset. Which is not a bad thing. No. And I mean, it's been a very challenging year for everybody, including with food nutritional services. Uh, my last two questions, I ask our guests the same two questions. What makes you sad?
Angela Bush:Other other other people's sadness? I can, I can usually feel it. It's pretty tangible. And so when other people are down, I feel like I need to swoop in and somehow make that better. So that's probably the biggest thing.
Jason Wheeler:On the other side, what makes you happy?
Angela Bush:The sun, time with my family, other people's happiness on the other side of that when people find joy, I find joy. My faith brings joy to me. Yes.
Jason Wheeler:You're a simple person, which is not a bad thing. Yeah. Angie Bush, our Director of food nutrition services. Thank you so much for the conversation. I appreciate it.
Angela Bush:Thank you for the opportunity, Jason. Appreciate as well.
Unknown:And we want to thank you for listening to Focused on Flagler Schools, a production of the Flagler County School District. New episodes are released every other Thursday. If you like what you hear, subscribe, and check out Flagler Schools at www.flaglerschools.com or on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram we're there @FlaglerSchools. Thanks for listening. And remember, Let's Keep Focused on Flagler Schools.