Isle of Wight County Schools and its food service partner, Chartwells K12, celebrated National School Lunch Hero Day on May 6.

From the start of the school year to summer vacation, and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the cafeteria team has been keeping students fed.

“Whether they’re at the ready with a spoon, spatula, or welcoming smile, these school lunch heroes go above and beyond to not only serve foods kids love to eat, but to ensure that students leave our cafeterias happier and healthier than they came in,” said Angie Smith, Director of Dining Services. “As Chartwells celebrates a major milestone for our 25th anniversary this year, we wanted to make this celebration even more special for our School Lunch Heroes.”

Now in its 10th year, School Lunch Hero Day is a national program dedicated to providing recognition to school food service professionals for their role. The founder of School Lunch Hero Day, Jarrett Krosoczka, is also the author of the acclaimed “Lunch Lady” book series, chronicling the exciting adventures of a heroic “lunch lady.”

In honor of School Lunch Hero Day and their 25th anniversary this year, Chartwells K12 is sending a special 25th anniversary hat to every associate and nearly 2,500 copies of Krosoczka’s “Lunch Lady 2-For-1 Special: The First Helping” to every elementary school they serve. The local Chartwells team is donating six books to the libraries at Hardy, Carrsville, Carrollton, Westside and Windsor elementary schools.

“The amount of work the food service team has put in day and night for our community has been nothing short of heroic,” Smith said. “The food service team over the last two school years has supplied IWCS students over 1.9 million meals and is on track to serve up to 250,000 more happy and healthy meals by the end of the school year. We have been met with many challenges this year however this team has met each one of those challenges with a lot of heart to take care of our students on a daily basis. We hope these books provide a lasting tribute to their extraordinary efforts and provide kids a fun way to learn more about these real-life superheroes.”