Westerville City Schools has received the Children’s Hunger Alliance Child Nutrition Award for the Food Services department’s work in feeding students during the pandemic.
“We appreciate that Westerville City Schools served over 500,000 meals since the pandemic started, ensuring kids had nutritious meals that met nutrition standards and addressed issues of food insecurity,” said Rick Oxley, manager of School and Summer Nutrition at the Children’s Hunger Alliance.
Westerville is among seven districts in Central Ohio — and the only one in Franklin County — to receive the honor.
“I was surprised,” said Kari Dennis, director of Human Resources and Food Services. “This is the work we do every day. There was never a question for us about feeding kids during a pandemic; it was just how we were going to do it. It’s an honor to be recognized for the work that we do every day, especially during this time. It means a great deal to my staff — the ones who are doing the work — to know how hard they have worked is recognized and appreciated by the community.”
Oxley presented two certificates to Dennis and district leaders on Thursday — one recognizes food service workers for providing meals during the pandemic while the other recognizes district leadership for coordinating a pandemic feeding response.
Children’s Hunger Alliance is a statewide non-profit dedicated to ending childhood hunger in Ohio.