The Lunch Debate: To Pack or Buy?

December 6, 2021

The age old debate between the better option of packing or buying lunch at school still exists.

Due to onging government assistance related to the pandemic, all students do have access to free lunches and breakfast food in the cafteria.

Sophomore Faith Stauffer eats in the school cafeteria every day for lunch.

Sophomores eat packed and school lunches in the cafeteria. Photograph by Jewel May

“I kind of have to [eat meals through the school]; my lunches are free,” Stauffer said.
On occasion, she also eats breakfasts provided by the lunch staff.
“I sometimes eat breakfast at school because some days I don’t have time to eat in the morning, so I just pick one up on my way to first period,” Stauffer said.
Helen Heidler, Food Service Director for the district, has helped add selections to the menus in attempts to get more students eating with the school.
“We’ve been steadily increasing since the beginning of the school year,” Heidler said. “We started the school year with only about 20-25 breakfasts [being purchased] and now we are up to 100, which is awesome. For lunches, up to about 450 students and then about 20 adults as well, so that number is also climbing a little bit.”
Heidler strives to make the lunches as tasty as possible, so the number continues to climb.                                                                                               “It is my goal to get everybody to eat lunch with the school,” Heidler said.
Stauffer also included that the cafeteria’s stock can run out of the more popular foods.
“If you get something every day, sometimes they don’t have what you want,” Stauffer said. “They run out of certain things sometimes.”
Sophomore Afton Frederick who packs her lunches every day also had some input on the matter.
“To be completely honest, I just don’t like the school food,” Frederick said. “It’s gross to me. [When I pack], I can choose what I put in my own lunch. I have more options from my house.”

A student checks out with their lunch. Photograph by Jewel May

Ultimately, Frederick thinks that whether or not school lunches are considered appetizing is more of a personal opinion.
“It just depends on how you feel the school lunch tastes,” Frederick said. “Some people actually like the school lunch, [but] I don’t.”
Frederick also added that packing is “more expensive than school lunches.”

Students eat lunch in the cafeteria. Photograph by Jewel May

Unfortunately, Heidler has to deal with certain restrictions from the government.
“You have to play a lot of different games when you’re pushing those menus together to make sure they follow the rules,” Heidler said.
In a 5-week cycle, she has to have two red/orange vegetables, one dark green vegetable, one starchy vegetable and one other vegetable. Sodium, calorie, fat content and protein are also restricted.
Heidler was also asked if she had ever eaten in the cafeteria: “Absolutely! Every day!” Heidler said.
Ultimately, Heidler wants to improve the experience so that everyone can be happy.
“I love my job,” Heidler said. “It’s very stressful, it’s very fast paced, but I’ve always been in food service my whole life since I was really young. I like bringing the customer service aspect to the school because I don’t feel like I’m feeding the students. I feel like the students are my customers, and I want to create menus and serve them things that they enjoy.”
There are many aspects Heidler would change if she could.
“I would like to have more merchandisers for the students to choose from,” Heidler said. “I would also love to have a coffee bar in the mornings, but these are labor intensive, and we are understaffed due to the pandemic.”
In the end, it seems both options have their pros and cons, but the school cafeteria staff continue to strive to improve the school lunches, making lunch better for everyone.

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