When you returned to Detroit, to its school system, you implemented multiple, major changes in a relatively short period of time. How did you manage that?

Marriott taught me about forming coalitions to accomplish a goal; how do both of us get what we want? To create a school garden in a vacant lot, I said, “Who do my partners need to be?” I need a university if we’re going to do research and grant writing; I need an extension service if we’re going to learn to grow food; I need a healthcare provider if our emphasis is going to be on health; and I need a not-for- profit that’s already out in the field. I just sat down and started engaging the people I needed.

What benefits have you seen out in the field to feeding hungry children nutritious meals?

Detroit has a needy population, and those parents are grateful I cared about their kids. There’s a real trust between a parent and a school lunch lady. The first thing a parent says to a kid who’s getting off the bus, after you look at them and see if they’re intact, is, “Are you hungry?” Food and nourishment are the first ways we show caring for kids. I related to women so well because I’m a single mom myself and know how lucky it is that I made enough money. A lot of women [in Detroit] did not have the opportunities I had.

What will some of the challenges of Houston be for you?

Houston is so much like Detroit in so many ways—it has the same kinds of issues with lack of food inclusion—except it’s not plain broke. In Detroit, I started building that program by myself, creating gardens out of the back of my car with bricks I stole from abandoned houses. I didn’t have anybody in Detroit to partner with except foundations. Here in Houston, I’ve got Exxon and all these different resources.

I have four times the number of students here, but I also have four times the number of employees. Here there’s a staff with skills, eagerness, and readiness; Houston came for me and provided me with everything I need. I can sit down and talk about ideas and assign things to people. I have a food manufacturing facility, the largest for a school district in the country, and I’m going to make my own bread, cook my own entrees—I’m working on making a cereal bar. I’m trying now to put a garden program together. I’ve got a culinary staff to put good food on kids’ trays; they do not lack skills or desire here. We’re gonna get it done, as they say.

How are your proposed programs faring in the wake of Harvey?

Hurricane Harvey has certainly impacted our program. In addition to sustaining damage at our production facility, quite a few of our vendors sustained damage [as well]. This, in turn, prevented them from filling orders as planned. Our milk deliveries did not begin until [September 13] and produce is still limited. Other vendors are tackling the problem of product availability. While inconvenient, this is to be expected after a natural disaster of this scale. We’ve had to alter our menus and include substitutions for items we planned to receive.

Our first priority will always remain ensuring our kids have food that will fuel their learning. That won’t change. We remain committed to our mission of serving good food that is simple, wholesome and nutritious. We’ve been able to reach those goals by receiving a waiver from the Texas Department of Agriculture, which allowed us to [offer the meals for free].

Can other “lunch ladies” apply what you’ve done to their own districts?

What I’m doing is scalable. You just have to decide what you’re committed to. I might not come [personally] from a hungry-kid paradigm, but I come from the idea that we need to feed all equally, as a right.

Betti Wiggins photo courtesy of Eating Well.