General Store to Offer Student Lunches
Students at the Springs School will have a new option for lunch come Monday, as the Springs General Store launches a school lunch service, with hot, nutritious meals delivered each morning by 11 a.m.
Because the school does not have a cafeteria, students are confined to their classrooms during lunchtime. They are expected to bring their lunches except on Friday when several local businesses deliver pizza.
Kristi Hood, the owner of the Springs General Store and the mother of two girls who graduated from it, knows firsthand what she called the chaos of the morning rush when lunches are bought.
“They didn’t really like sandwiches and Lunchables aren’t healthy options,” Ms. Hood said, referring to prepackaged lunches made by Oscar Mayer. “This will supply a guaranteed protein source, along with fresh fruit, a vegetable, and something sweet.” Each lunch will cost $7.50.
With menus now being posted on the store’s website, Ms. Hood is hopeful that there will be adequate demand. Meals will be delivered in brown “biodegradable, grease-proof, heat-proof, microwaveable, recyclable” rectangular boxes. Biodegradable utensils, made of beechwood, will also be included.
Frederic and Catherine Debackere, the parents of 8-year-old triplets who attend the school, have been instrumental in helping the project come to life. “It’s a burden to prepare lunch every night for three kids. I’m sure I’m not the only one — triplets or not,” Mr. Debackere, an architect and designer, said. Originally from France, he said that nutritious, hot lunches were a foundation of the school day there.
It was “incomprehensible,” he said, that the school had no cafeteria, especially with 1,000 kids. “Something has to be done.” To start, he plans to order lunches for his children twice a week. “Whatever we spend in groceries and snacks, we’re sure to break even.”
“We were looking into it, but with our lease under a cloud, we hesitated to commit to a program that I couldn’t follow through on,” Ms. Hood said, explaining why it had taken till now to get the project undern way. After a buyer interested in retaining the store was announced earlier this month, Ms. Hood said she could finally rest assured that her business would stay put.
Monday’s menu consists of homemade macaroni and cheese, broccoli florets, fresh berries, and a mini carrot cake. Later in the week, students can choose between grilled cheese sandwiches, chicken pot pies, salmon and potato cakes, and turkey and white bean chili. Vegetarian and gluten-free options will also be available and parents can indicate any allergies or special dietary needs.
“Most importantly, we want the kids to actually eat the food,” Ms. Hood said. She plans to track the popularity of each menu and note which items most appeal to picky palates.
“Since our school community consists of so many working families, this service will be a great help to parents,” Elizabeth Mendelman, the school board president, said.