School Administration Donates Lunch Boxes to Front-Line Workers

PLAINFIELD, IL — Central Elementary School administration donated 40 boxes of lunch for essential workers at Amita Saint Joseph Medical Center-Joliet in the name of teachers and staff during Teacher Appreciation Week.

The meals were delivered May 6 for nurses and security guards who have been on the front lines dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Central Elementary School Assistant Principal Kelly Gregoire got the idea after learning of a meal train for essential workers.

Typically, the school’s Parent Teacher Organization buys lunch for staff each day during Teacher Appreciation Week, which was from May 4-8 this year, Gregoire said.

"Since staff members are not in the buildings due to the pandemic the idea to donate food seemed like a good one," she said. "The school ordered the food from Moe Joe’s in downtown Plainfield because the restaurant owner’s child attends Central. We thought we can help essential workers and help one of our own with their small business."

The donation was well-received by the medical center staff.

"Our associates have been so grateful for the outpouring of generosity from the community," said Melissa Malito, executive assistant at the medical center who handled the school’s donation. "It makes what they are doing mean so much when they know the community is rallying around them. It makes those hard shifts so much more bearable."