I got into politics because I wanted to make a difference and to serve my community so I want to hear from you, my constituents. Since I represent many kinds of people, I want to find solutions where multiple parties ‘win’. I support job creation and job opportunities, and values aligned school meals can lead to economic and workforce development. Targeted interest groups like large scale farmers have helped me get elected and I want and need their ongoing support. However, this doesn't mean that I will shy away from hard conversations just to get it. In my view, universal school meals that care about the whole food system are good for business, as well as for our kids and our communities.

As principal, my main role revolves around balancing the school budget and the bottom line. I want to keep my kids in school and I need to keep them focused, striving to support learning and happiness in the corridors. But I’ve also learned that the reality is, my job is at risk when my school has low performing students & staff. Healthy food in school leads to better attendance and test performance, and I want to be part of the solution that provides a clear path to school success for my kids. Despite wanting the best for my kids and staff, my job requires me to balance changes causing a strain on existing school infrastructure and I'm worried about the additional budget that I may have to find. COVID has already created additional logistical burdens and we don’t always have the budget and staffing levels to make drastic changes.

They say it takes a village to raise a child, and when it comes to school nutrition, food service folks are the frontline workers. Feeding them is my passion and career choice, that being said, I can only do so much with what I'm given. For everything to come together properly, parents have to be happy with the food quality–which isn’t always in my control and budgets have to line up.  COVID waivers allowed us to provide universal meals to all students, which cut down on the red tape so I could focus on what I love - feeding kids. I try to put together great meals for the kids, and ask them how their day is going, my job isn’t only about the food.

I saw this Tik Tok where they shared the meals that kids get at school in other countries, and it was so cool. I want to get involved, and make changes happen.  During COVID times, everyone got free school meals and it was just easier, without side orders of red tape and embarrassment.  One thing that bugs me and my friends is that lunch happens super early in the day, like around 10:30 am, so whatever I eat needs to be hearty, as by the time I get home, I’M STARVING.  It would be cool if our lunches were even remotely selfie ready like the ones in other countries. I follow a few foodies on Insta, and some of them are other kids who go to high-end schools— the food looks incredible, and like it would actually taste amazing. So, like, where does that food even come from? Where does our food come from?

Like many parents, I work long hours. I frequently worry about the quality of food my daughter gets when I’m not there, so I try to send her to school full with a nutritious breakfast, and either with a healthy lunch that I’ve prepared or money to buy something from the cafeteria. But left to her own devices, Im pretty sure she isn’t always making the best choices, and part of this is based on the options the school has available. I’m glad when school meals reinforce the healthy habits I try to instill at home. I want my kid to be eating nutritious, delicious “brain food” while she’s in school, because that’s where she’s supposed to be using her brain!

We supply restaurants, grocery store chains, universities, military outlets, but our favorite delivery stops are schools. Partnering with both local growers and suppliers allows us to make sure  the product schools want are available, and to supply clients with the best and freshest produce  there is. We work hard to guarantee great quality, and we also care about the environment, how far food travels, and fair labor and wages for all our employees. We want to see a market in which we can all continue to thrive, offer a great working environment to our team and great service to all our clients, especially the kids.

As an Indigenous, family farmer, I am a steward of this land and my work has always been climate focused, in ways that ‘Big Ag’ just can’t be. I can’t see the point of trucking food thousands of miles when we grow great food right here. I want to see my food served in local schools, but it’s hard to compete with large corporations; I need to get a fair price for the work I do well, so I can pay a living wage to my workers, and be a part of solutions around good farming and labor practices. I wish the government would support us more and that the USDA would fund sustainable practices, but it’s hard to be heard as a small farmer and I'd love to see that change.