Karim Hasan
I’m a proud retired Army veteran with 20 years of service. I’ve had the honor of serving my country in multiple deployments during Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. I became a 94 BRAVO with a Papa Identifier in 1995 — in plain English, I was an Airborne cook for 2-504 Parachute Infantry Regiment’s 82nd Airborne Division. In many ways, my experiences as a soldier led me to my role serving meals to Chesterfield County students.
For the record, I have never worked so hard in my life.
Food service is an underappreciated career. We had a saying in the Army, “You’re only as good as your last meal.” Depending on the mission, our teams would feed between 50 and 4,000 soldiers for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and at times midnight chow.
Food service operations while deployed meant early mornings and late nights, with massive amounts of logistics and coordination required to get the job done. As a cook in an infantry unit, you’re required to go where the troops go and sleep where they sleep. This involves extensive planning and, as you might expect, significant security measures. These meals kept soldiers nourished as they risked their lives for our country.
Like many veterans, I experienced a loss of identity when I retired and attempted to transition to civilian life, but when I joined Chesterfield County Public Schools’ food and nutrition team three years ago, I regained my sense of purpose.
My role as field supervisor is one of the best jobs in the world, and during the pandemic it has proven to be critical.
When schools closed last March, Chesterfield County’s food and nutrition department never stopped working. We mobilized overnight to create emergency meal distribution programs. Nearly 24,500 students across the county rely on the free or reduced meals they receive at school. We weren’t about to let them down.
Tanisha Miller provides meals to Adam Padgett, who says Chesterfield County Public Schools’ meal distribution program has “been a lifesaver” during the pandemic.
Food service during a pandemic involves teamwork, dedication and a lot of logistics and planning. It’s proven to be an opportunity to use my military training, too.
We’re serving thousands of meals per day, preparing and offering food in school and providing curbside pickups at multiple sites to feed children enrolled in virtual or in-person learning. At times we coordinate deliveries to schools that have more cold and dry storage space. We then distribute meals to schools that have the largest need and community participation.
We think about COVID-19 precautions all the time. Masks and social distancing are second nature as we work to protect our staff and the families we serve.
During a typical school year, our schools and meal service programs are closed for extreme weather. But with COVID-19, we can’t allow weather to get in our way. We served through a rainstorm just recently. You could see nothing but joy on our team’s faces as they were drenched by the rain. In the Army we called this “embracing the suck.”
In the past, cafeteria personnel usually worked four- and five-hour shifts. Now we have some team members who periodically work 12-hour days because of the pandemic. Food and Nutrition has been one of the few departments that has worked nonstop through the pandemic. No spring break, no summer break and no work from home. We are committed to the work we do. We know if we don’t show up, someone won’t get fed.
The growing need in our community continues to motivate us. According to our partner, No Kid Hungry Virginia, one in five children in Virginia could face hunger this year, up from one in eight prior to the pandemic. This is a statistic we see firsthand.
The financial impact of the pandemic is hitting every aspect of our community, including affluent neighborhoods. During October, a retired veteran who stopped by one of our sites for the first time was grateful and overwhelmed by the quality and amount of food. He said he was caring for extended family members, and the meals were a huge help.
Thanks to the extension of federal nutrition waivers, any student, not just those who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, can take home food from curbside pickup sites at Chesterfield’s 64 public schools, no questions asked.
This pandemic has taken so much from us. Countless deaths, time with loved ones and friends, not to mention the financial difficulties many families are facing. These meals are a small comfort for people who are struggling.
Despite the many challenges this year has presented, I continue to be inspired by my team and the children they serve. Kids are keenly aware of their surroundings, and as much as we try to shield them, they know the devastation the pandemic is causing. As they process the difficulties of our new reality, we never want them to have to think about hunger.
This work is important. The students we serve today might be our next congressperson, nurse or, perhaps, president. As I’ve gone from feeding soldiers to feeding the future, I could not be prouder. To all the food service workers across our community and state, thank you for all you do.
Karim Hasan is an Army veteran and is field supervisor with Chesterfield County Public Schools Food & Nutrition Services. For more information about free meals, visit mychesterfieldschools.com.
