To wrap up 2021, American Dairy Association recognized School Meals Heroes! We asked students throughout the region to nominate the school lunch hero at their school who made their days brighter and deserves a shoutout – and students came out in droves to tell us about the amazing people who provide school meals to them!
Today we are featuring Elizabeth Diaz, who works at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School in Edison Township Public Schools, New Jersey.
“Ms. Liz makes the best breakfast and lunch for me,” said one student, “My tummy is always full and happy so that I’m ready to learn!”
Other students say Ms. Liz is warm and welcoming and really cares about them.
“I love the kids!” says Diaz. “They make your day, especially in the elementary school.”
Diaz says she never knew before working in school nutrition that so many students don’t get a good meal every day at home.
“It’s nice to be able to provide a breakfast and a lunch for them every day,” she said. “The one positive thing that came out of COVID is that we were able to serve kids throughout the pandemic and we could feed them 7 days a week.”
Diaz emphasized how different school food is now compared to when she was a student, saying, “School meals have changed over the years! Our kids love them!”
Thank you to Diaz and all the cafeteria staff who have worked hard to bring school meals to every student!
