Local Cafeteria Worker to Advocate for School Meals in Washington, D.C.
Our Daily Show Interview! Shelly Wuellner: Food Service Director: BHCUSD8
BUNKER HILL - On a recent episode of “Our Daily Show!” with CJ Nasello, Shelly Wuellner provided insight as to how school lunches are prepared and the federal programs that aim to help kids access healthy meals.
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Wuellner works as the Food Service Director for Bunker Hill Community Unit School District #8. She also serves as the Illinois Public Spokesperson for Healthy Meals for All, and she regularly advocates for students to have the best meals possible.
“Every item we serve is made 100% with love,” she said. “Your kids are our kids. We’re feeding your kids just like we would feed our own kids. That’s how every lunch person approaches each day. They want kids to eat. Our goal each day is to get kids to eat.”
Wuellner shared that she will soon be traveling to Springfield, IL, to speak with legislators about the Healthy School Meals for All Kids bill, which provides free breakfast and lunch to all students who want the meals. They are currently working to secure the funding to make this possible.
As part of the School Nutrition Association, Wuellner will also travel to Washington, D.C. in March for the legislation action conference. She is looking forward to talking with legislators about school meals.
“Every kid deserves to eat,” she said. “It's really important for us to go and be able to act as the voice for the child.”
Wuellner is currently interested in Illinois’s farm-to-school program, which allows school districts to purchase ingredients and meat from local farmers. She said the USDA gave Illinois $7 million for this program, and there is $6 million left because schools haven’t been taking advantage of it.
She encourages more districts to look into this program and see if it’s right for them. She also suggests that parents can reach out to their district’s food service director to ask about this program.
Wuellner noted that the busiest days for the Bunker Hill CUSD8 cafeteria are Fridays and Mondays, when kids are preparing for the weekend or coming back to school after two days off. She wants to make sure every child is fed.
“We have 600 students in our district. I say I have 600 children, and I’ll feed them all,” she said. “Schools are responsible for kids from the time they pick them up until the time they drop them home. Don’t you think that it’s our responsibility to make sure they’re fed?”
She loves picky eaters, and she enjoys teaching kids about new foods or sitting down with a child to try a new food with them. It’s important to her to make sure her students receive the food they need to be successful.
Not only that, but she wants them to have fresh, nutrient-rich food from local sources. Bunker Hill CUSD8 prioritizes this, and Wuellner will be advocating for other children and districts in the coming months on a state and federal level.
“It is about the success of the kids,” she added. “We want the kids to behave in the classroom. We want the kids to have the energy to stay awake and learn. Your brain needs fuel, and your fuel is your food. So why aren’t we making sure we’re giving them the best fuel, the highest octane gas we can make?”
For more information about Bunker Hill CUSD8 or to learn more about the school meal initiatives and programs that Wuellner is advocating for, you can email her directly at rwuellner@bhcusd.org.
If you are experiencing food insecurity, check out this article on RiverBender.com for local resources.
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