FAIRMONT — To serve up to 1,600 meals per day — many of them to people with specific palates — with the help of only 21 employees may not sound like fun to many of us. Add a tight budget, government oversight and the fact that much of the food needs to be driven across town to get to the customer, and the fun factor pretty much flies out the window.
Twenty-four years ago, Kathy Bishop may have agreed. But that was then, and now she knows better. Bishop, the food service director for Fairmont Public Schools, does just the thing that would strike fear in the hearts of many — she plans meals and prepares food for hundreds of kids each day.
Bishop, who has been with the district for 19 years, will retire at the end of the school year.
She began her work life as a businesswoman, working in the accounting office for the school district before moving to JC Penney, where she worked in the office. Then, when her daughter was in fourth grade, she saw an opening at St. John Vianney as head of the kitchen. She applied on a whim and got the job.
“I didn’t know what I was applying for,” Bishop said. “I had only dabbled in cooking.”
The job suited her, though, and she spent the next five years learning how to run a kitchen and feed 180 students per day. She received her certification for food service through continuing education, and when there was an opening at the Fairmont schools for food service director, she took it.
That job change was another eye opener, going from feeding 180 students to 1,600 students, and from a staff of two to a staff of 21. But that didn’t stop her.
“I really enjoyed it,” she said. “Every day is different. For 13 years I was in a cubicle, working in an office. Now I have contact with students, work with the administrators, take care of invoices, and talk to parents. It is such a varied job — in the blink of an eye the day is gone.”
That multi-faceted approach to her job has paid off not only in job satisfaction for her, but also in student participation in the lunch program and positive changes in the cafeteria.
When she began in 1989, the lunch line consisted of the main entree, a pizza line and limited a la carte options. Bishop said she immediately expanded the pizza line to include a salad. She also added breakfast offerings at all sites, and began a strong tradition of customer service — an idea that may have been overlooked before.
“In restaurants they try to get new customers, but I believe it is important to keep your old customers,” Bishop said. “We (the food service department) are the only department in the school that has ‘service’ in its name.”
Another aspect of that service is Bishop’s responsibility to ensure the kids are getting nutritious foods that they like and that fit in with the government’s guidelines.
“My biggest challenge without a doubt,” said Bishop, “is trying to meet nutritional regulations while making the meal attractive so the child will sit down and eat it.”
Bishop acknowledges that the public may see pizza, corn dogs and french fries on the menu and wonder how this is nutritious, but she says the food has been formulated for a child — much of it is baked instead of fried, and the government requires that the entire meal have no more than 30 percent fat.
What is served specifically includes a minimum of 2 ounces of protein, one cup of fruit or vegetables and one carton of milk. And while the price of food has presented challenges for her in feeding all these kids, she has found ways to bring fresh food in while keeping the prices down. She mixes spring lettuces in with her regular salad lettuce for variety and extra nutrients, experiments with new menu ideas and is gearing up to offer vegetarian entrees soon.
This out-of-the-box thinking has led to an increase in student participation in the lunch program.
“Our offering to students is tops,” she says. “We have a 96 percent participation at Five Lakes, Budd and Lincoln schools, and 72 percent participation at the high school. And that is not counting the 400 or so meals from the a la carte line.”
Another change Bishop has seen in her years of service is going from a cash service line to computerized service. This allows parents to pay ahead for their students’ lunches, without worrying that the money will be lost or otherwise spent.
The computerized system also has allowed Bishop and other school staff to help families who are struggling.
“I was seeing some difficulty (for some students),” Bishop said. “I saw another administrator and we were wondering what to do — some students just weren’t eating and didn’t have money for lunch.”
Bishop went to a Kiwanis meeting and spoke to them about a way to help these kids. Kiwanis donated $100, and the Angel Fund was born. Bishop noticed that some students were leaving the school with a small balance on their lunch accounts, and she transferred this extra to the Angel Fund. She also spoke to some parents who donated money. Bishop uses money in the fund to help students who don’t have enough money to eat.
“Maybe the family lost a job or had an economic hardship,” she said. “Sometimes it is a matter of a few days or a week, but then I can get them an application for free or reduced lunch.”
Bishop acknowledges that there is a stigma attached to asking for help, and this stigma is costing students their lunches. For this reason, the free and reduced lunch application has been renamed the district application for educational benefits.
“The reason it is called that,” said Bishop, “is that the district receives funding for students that are enrolled.”
As she looks back at all she has done for the district over the years, she mentions just one thing she wishes she had accomplished.
“If I had one more year, the students at Budd school would have a choice (of meals),” she said. “At Five Lakes, three years ago there was just one line on each side. We were struggling with the numbers. When we changed that, participation went up from 62 percent to 96 percent.”
The future looks good for Bishop. She and her husband plan to travel with their street rods, and Bishop plans to devote more time to her quilting and her church. And with two grandchildren an hour away, Bishop plans to do some spoiling.
“I am excited about whole new horizons, but I have mixed emotions. Some days it is hard. I have a great team. The whole time I have been here, no one has just quit, just retired, in the food service department.”
