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THE CATHOLIC TIMES, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1952
Plenty of Help Needed To Prepare Those Tasty Meals For Hungry School Children
The school kitchens which are daily turning out enough
food to feed those hungry mouths need plenty of staffing.
The majority of this help is volunteer and it is mainly on
account of such eager workers that the school luncheon
program is the wonderful success it is.
Members of the PTA groups, Mother’s clubs, and other
organizations—in addition to the school children’s mothers,
daily carry their home-kitchen experience into the kitchens
of the schools their children attend to help prepare the food
their own children will eat.
Roving Photographer Catches Smiles At School Lunches In Diocesan Schools
Meal Pattern For
A Type A Luncheon
A school luncheon program must include at least:
pint of milk as a beverage
Protein-rich food
2 oz. meat or fish or
2 oz. cheese or
One egg or
cup dried beans, peas or soybeans or
4 tablespoons peanut butter.
Vegetables and. fruits
cup vegetables or fruit or
cup of each.
Bread or muffins, made of whole grain cereal or enriched
flour.
Fortified margarine, 2 teaspoons.
Holy Rosary Lunch Report
When Holy Rosary school adopt- ies her group to the cafeteria and
ed the Government Lunch Room remains with them until they are
Program Nov. 2, 1951, we found
that we were confronted with a not
too gigantic task. Our cafeteria had
been serving hot dinners, but the
children were allowed to choose be
tween the hot plate for the day and
sandwiches and other side dishes.
Probably the most gratifying fea
ture of the new lunch program was
that it tripled the number of hot
lunches we sold daily. We noted
too that under the new system
many more children were drink
ing milk. Heretofore only too often
“milk money” found its way into
the pop machine.
Sister Kathleen, Principal of
Holy Rosary School, is the general
co-ordinator of the program. She
checks menus, manages the ac
counts and in general keeps all
things running smoothly. Sister is
assisted by the other members of
the faculty. Each Sister accompan-
Food Tastes Good
That Looks Good
Mrs. Hazel Hearn, director, Arch
diocesan school lunch program, of
Cincinnati, recently passed this nit
of information along to managers
of the kitchens in which the school
lunches are cooked.
“When you serve school child
ren lunches, you are not providing
energy and strength just for to
day and growth only for tomorrow
you are influencing their
health for the rest of their lives,
and probably their characters and
their destinies.
“Simple, nourishing food in wide
variety is necessary both to nour
ish the children and to make them
interested in what is good for
them. Do not repeat menus too
often, lest the children become
bored or actually turned against
the foods that are vital to their
welfare.
“Remember, children are people,
and very intelligent people at that.
They should learn to eat all foods
that are good for them, but each
dish should be made so delicious
that it will be eaten for that rea
son and not because it is good for
them. Make food more attractive
give it color—food tastes good
that looks good.”
served. Two Sisters take surveil
lance for the rest of the noon hour.
In Mrs. William Dehus and Mrs.
Edward Fairchild, we have two
splendid cooks. They not only
know how to prepare and serve
food so that it is appealing to ev
eryone, but they love and under
stand children as well. Their con
geniality adds much to the atmos
phere of our lunch room.
Our Mothers have always been
very interested in our cafeteria.
Formerly a group of them came
daily to help with the dishes or
with any other task connected with
preparing a meal. However, the in
stallation of our electric dishwash
er has so lightened the work that
our cooks are now able to manage
alone. Only on special occasions or
in some emergency must we call
upon mothers of the P.T.A.
Our school enrollment which in
cludes an elementary and a high
school reaches 800. Many of these
are able to go home for dinner but
it gives us a feeling of satisfaction
to realize that each of the 260 who
stay each day receive a warm, well
balanced meal. Last year the total
number of dinners served was 31,
995.
o-----------------
Seek “Best Buys”
For Luncheons
Like the proverbial bargain
basement value seeker, our school
cafeterias must operate within
their budget.
To assist schools to make the
most of their available funds, the
department of agriculture notifies
schools each month on the supplies
of plentiful food that will be rea
sonably priced.
Schools are encouraged to take
advantage of these “best buys,”
but the quantity purchased or the
amount of money spent for these
foods in no way determines the
amount of federal cash assistance
they receive.
The same service is provided to
all consumers through the distri
bution of this information to food
trade groups and the press and
radio. The food editors of more
than 70 national women’s maga
zines use this information as a
guide in planning their articles on
food preparations, and menu sug
gestions.
Science and Health
Classes Study Meals
The cook at St. Mary’s school, Co
lumbus, is really the belle of the
school. Early in the morning Mrs.
Stella Casey starts those tantaliz
ing odors from the cafeteria float
ing into the hallways and permeat
ing into the classrooms. On the av
erage, two hundred forty of the
seven hundred forty grade school
pupils partake of Mrs. Casey’s sub
stantial, goodly portioned, and var
ied meals.
Not until January, 1950, Mrs.
Casey tells us, was the present sys
tem initiated. Prior to that, a pri
vately run lunch room was main
tained.
Everyone realizes that the chil
dren need well-planned hot meals
for lunch, and he realizes that with
out the help of the PTA and the
Sisters, this would not be possible.
At St. Mary’s Mrs. Casey receives
wonderful cooperation from the
PTA, both men and women. The
Sisters not only supervise, but they
hold waste to a minimum and also,
they teach the children table man
ners.
In the beginning the lack of
equipment was the biggest diffi
culty. There was no refrigerator,
steam table or any big equipment.
There was just enough silver and
dishes for 78. With the aid of the
PTA equipment has been purchas
ed to serve the entire school.
I v
The cafeteria is used by the high
school as well as the grade school.
A staggered lunch program makes
this possible.
The children in science and
health classes are studying bal
anced meals. This is emphasized by
means of colorful posters received
from the Milk Council, General
Foods, and other sources.
Mrs. Casey knows her children,
knows their likes and dislikes and
plans her meals accordingly. This
foresight keeps the problem of left
overs at a minimum The 35.789
meals served annually are Mrs.
Casey’s delight, and a delight to
the children.
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