District coaches help with lunch bus
Every day for a few weeks in March and early April — and twice a week for each of the last couple weeks — my two kids have been among the many who are greeting the “lunch bus.”
It’s a very noble thing the Siloam Springs School District is doing, just like many others around the state and country. School districts are using their resources and food to make sure kids across the country are being fed with good nutritional items for breakfast and lunch. Here, in particular, the bus routes are running their regular routes delivering food. It’s just a great thing that’s happening.
And SSSD employees are helping in a big way. In fact there are so many people chipping in to help with this project it would be impossible to name them all. But to those who are helping, thank you!
However, I’d like to share my story.
One particular morning a few weeks ago, as my kids went out to meet the lunch bus, we got a nice surprise when we saw head volleyball coach Joellen Wright and head boys basketball coach Tim Stewart, helping deliver food.
As excited as Coach Wright and Coach Stewart were to see my kids and me, we were equally
excited to see them. After all, we don’t get out much here anymore.
That was the first I heard of Siloam Springs coaches volunteering their time to help on the lunch bus.
Athletics director Ken Harriman said when the lunch bus started, the district was going to be short on volunteers to help with this project, so he helped round up volunteers from his athletics staff.
And the Panthers’ coaches responded in a big way.
I wouldn’t begin to name who all helped, because I know I’d leave someone out. But lots of people have chipped in.
The last few weeks the system has been tweaked and coaches now help load the buses twice a week in the mornings, Harriman said.
“The food service people do such a great job,” Harriman said. “We hang around and see if they’re short on the bus. We fill in wherever we need to be right now.”
Harriman said it takes a good 30 minutes or so to load the food onto the buses and “everybody’s sweating and huffing and puffing” after the job is done.
“I’m just real proud of these guys for stepping up and doing this,” Harriman said. “We had a need and we were glad to be able to help out.”
Siloam Springs athletics has some of the finest people you’ll ever meet that care a ton about kids. That’s my kids, your kids — our kids. Thank you so much.
— Graham Thomas is the managing editor for the Herald-Leader. He can be reached at gthomas@nwadg.com. The opinions expressed are those of the author.