MMS Opens Outdoor Cafeteria, “The Goat Shed”
October 13th, 2021 by Joe Burgess
Monticello Middle School will celebrate the opening of The Goat Shed, a new outdoor cafeteria, starting at 11:15 a.m. on Wednesday, October 13.
The Goat Shed is the first cafeteria of its kind on the Monticello School District campus and is part of the district’s effort to provide innovative meal options for students.
“We are very excited to open The Goat Shed as a cafeteria option for our middle school students,” said Monticello School District Child Nutrition Director Amanda West. “This outdoor cafeteria will give cafeteria staff more flexibility during mealtimes, and it gives students more room to spread out and enjoy the nutritious meals they need to succeed in the classroom.”
Since the pandemic began, the Monticello School District has received grants totaling $70,500 from the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance’s No Kid Hungry campaign partner Share Our Strength, and an additional Arkansas Emergency Meals Support grant for $17,000 funded through an Arkansas Department of Workforce Services, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) subgrant to the Alliance. Together, these grants allowed the district to purchase much-needed meal service supplies and equipment, including supplies for an outdoor café and aheat-seal machine to create convenient, grab and go meals for distribution to students. Over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, the district’s Child Nutrition Team, led by Director Amanda West, has worked diligently to provide nutritious meals to all students, whether they attended school in-person or virtually. Director West and her team developed innovative meal delivery methods — including school bus delivery and grab-and-go meal pick-ups — and with the help of Monticello School District Superintendent Sandra Lanehart, the team has been able to continue providing meals to all students during a time of health and economic hardship. In the words of Ms. West, “One kid hungry is one too many.”
Director West also received a 2021 Acting Out Against Hunger Award from the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance in recognition of her work to ensure all Monticello School District students received the nutritious meals they needed.
“I am incredibly proud of the work Director West and the Child Nutrition Team have done for the Monticello School District and our students,” said Superintendent Sandra Lanehart. “Their dedication and creativity in finding new meal delivery and feeding options have been critical in our effort to make sure all students have the fuel they need to learn and grow, both inside and outside of the classroom.”
The opening of The Goat Shed marks a significant development in the Monticello School District’s work to continue providing meals to students in innovative ways that accommodate the constraints of Covid-19 precautions. A brief celebration will be held on Wednesday, October 13 starting at 11:15 a.m. to commemorate the launch of The Goat Shed and the achievements of the Monticello School District.
Choose another article
Newer article: Oklahoma Physician Charged In Death Of Woman Found Near Lake Village
Older article: UAM To Offer State’s Only Master’s Degree In Nursing With Emphasis On Public Health
