In Morningside Elementary School’s library, Katy Siegel peeled back foil on a tray to reveal steaming hot black beans.
The school counselor was among a half dozen educators who kicked off lunch Tuesday, the day before classes began.
Their meal: a catered build-your-own burrito bowl from Qdoba, brought to the school thanks to a partnership between United Way, the school district and dozens of local businesses and churches. The goal was to show support for schools and start the year on a positive note after a year of budget cuts where many teachers were transferred between schools.
Cathy McInnis and Melinda Freshour with United Way spearheaded the effort, coordinating 68 catered breakfasts and lunches last week and on Tuesday.
“It’s a tangible way to say we care,” Freshour said.
It’s the first time in the 12 years Siegel has worked at Morningside that she can recall the community providing a back-to-school meal for school workers.
“This feels very good. I feel very appreciated,” she said after grabbing a burrito bowl.
McInnis is a retired educator who now oversees the United Community Fund, United Way’s effort to raise outside money as a nonprofit to support the school district.
She said the project grew out of conversations with Superintendent Andrea Castañeda about showing appreciation for educators following a difficult school year.
“Right here, we can start with a new foundation,” she said.
McInnis worked with Freshour and Salem Leadership Foundation, which had experience with a similar effort to deliver pies to teachers. They sought local businesses and churches willing to sponsor a meal for their neighborhood school.
More than 40 signed up. Some, like Odd Moe’s Pizza, sponsored multiple schools. Restaurants gave discounts, and churches provided volunteers to help deliver food.
“They wanted to step up and help,” McInnis said of Qdoba, one of the restaurants who worked with them.
Freshour said many businesses or churches they asked were eager to participate, referencing personal connections to their local school.
“Several of them said, ‘My children go to that school, my grandchildren go to that school,” Freshour said. “Our faith community showed up. Our business community showed up.”
Schools could choose either breakfast or lunch and the day they wanted the meal delivered. The effort ultimately brought 68 meals to every school and several district programs, including online school EDGE and the Career Technical Education Center.
It wrapped up Tuesday with several elementary schools, including Morningside.
McInnis said they don’t have a clear idea of the cost because so many groups donated money or discounted food, but she estimated it took about $55,000.
Teachers and school staff sat at tables sized for children in the school library, eating as they traded notes about their summers and talked about the upcoming year.
Principal Kristi Auvinen said having clear signs of community support like a donated meal is a morale boost for both staff and students, ultimately affecting attendance and other indicators of success.
“This is very extensive and very, very generous, so we’re thrilled,” she said. “A lunch translates to so many more things.”
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
