Summer Meals at Kernersville Elementary School

During the regular school year, Cielo Kramer is the cafe manager at South Fork Elementary School

By Cielo B. Kramer

This is my first summer to serve at a Chartwells Summer Meal Program in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, and I was greatly inspired by the impact it gives to the community.

The program has run this year from June 22 to Aug. 13 in 18 different locations across Forsyth County.  Community groups such as the YMCA, summer day care, church youth programs and district-sponsored school summer initiatives have been catered to in order to ensure children are being provided nutritious meals. Just in the town of Kernersville, for the month of July, we served 4,840 meals!!!

“Summer is extra hard for me to plan for healthy, balanced meals for my children and this program helps me a lot,” said one young mother. 

“I am helped financially by bringing my kids to the cafeteria to have free meals. My children have the excitement like going to McDonald’s or Wendy’s every time we eat at the school. It’s a treat for them without me paying my day’s paycheck,” said a mother of four.

“I enjoy eating at the cafeteria and I love your popcorn chicken and potato wedges,” exclaimed a vivacious young costumer.

As a manager, my five hours of service every day serves as my daily benefaction of making a difference to these precious children. Preparing, cooking and serving food is my small contribution or shall I say unknown investment to the future of these young lives. I am a dreamer.  I always imagine the positive long-term effects of my actions and service and providing healthy meals to students will be a sure return, I may not see the return in my life but in the success of these young ones’ future I hope others will see it.

My appreciation of this kind of program is a big thing to me. I came from a third-world country and I saw a lot of suffering due to food depravation. As this country graciously adopted me one of its own, I am determined to pay it forward with good citizenship and service to people.  I greatly appreciate the leadership of WS/FCS Child Nutrition and Chartwells for giving me the opportunity to serve.

Summer Meals Rock!!

Cielo Kramer grew up in the Philippines. She is now a U.S. citizen. This is Kramer's second contribution to the Your Permanent Record blog. You can read the first one at Your Permanent Record