Celebrating School Lunch Hero Day with an Associate Lunchroom Manager

Imelda has been working at Addams Elementary School for 24 years, including 15 years in lunchroom management. She wanted to work in a school at first because her own kids were in school, and Addams was a perfect fit for two reasons: it was conveniently located and had a great sense of community. In fact, Imelda considers many of the people she works with to be like family. She says Addams is a school where you are welcomed and embraced because everyone is so helpful and friendly. 

As part of our celebration of School Lunch Hero Day, we spoke with Imelda to hear more about her story. Get to know her more below. 

What skills are most important to your work? 

Organization, first of all, I think is very important. I also believe in patience and being responsible, since it’s such a big responsibility having this job. It’s not easy, and I don’t think anyone can do it, because you really have to care for your students to make this job great. 

Do those skills come naturally to you, or have you had to work on them over the years? 

I actually think they come naturally to me, and I have to use them in my job, at home, and with whatever else I am doing. Responsibility and organization—they are both so important! 

What have been some of the highlights of working at Addams for so many years? 

The people I’ve been able to work with! A lot of them have come and gone, but I have great memories with so many of them. Not every memory is good, but the good ones are the ones that come up for me the most. 

What advice would you give to someone else who is pursuing a career in lunchroom management? 

There are so many things I could share. I would encourage them to be attentive, be courteous to their fellow workers, have patience, be respectful, and always be open-minded. 

Is there anything you would like to share with your fellow School Lunch Heroes? 

Keep up your good work. I have a great team. They’re all very responsible, and we are all doing our best to serve our students and school community.