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Greenville County Schools serves 1 million meals during coronavirus shutdown

Director Joe Urban also talks about financial stress and looking forward to fall. Becky Schilling

Becky Schilling, Group Content Director/Editor-in-chief

May 21, 2020

The food and nutrition services team at Greenville County Schools is known for innovation, and some really, really good food. But when the coronavirus hit, Director Joe Urban knew he had to put his innovation and “food ego” aside to serve students meals in new and different ways.

And serve students his team has—they are hitting the 1 million meal mark this week! Using a variety of service styles, including 70 bus stops, the nutrition departments has teamed up with bus drivers and nurses to keep the community’s children served.

Urban, like many directors, says serving during the coronavirus puts an even bigger financial burden on his program. “This is not a profitable program,” Urban says of his service right now, including paying all his employees their salaries, regardless of whether they are working or not (he’s also paying those that are working time and a half). “We’re very fortunate that we’ve run a very successful program for a number of years, so we were able to shore up our fund balance. But for some districts, this will break them.

“As soon as normal happens, if normal ever happens again, we’re ready to start serving those innovative things again,” he adds. Watch the video below to see what the different fall scenarios Urban’s team is working through.

Related:One On One With: Creating inspired school meals

About the Author

Becky Schilling

Becky Schilling

Group Content Director/Editor-in-chief

Becky Schilling is Food Management’s editor-in-chief, and the group content director for Informa’s Restaurants and Food Group, managing editorial for digital, print and events for Nation’s Restaurant News, Restaurant Hospitality, Food Management and Supermarket News media brands. Becky holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Texas A&M University and a master's degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Before joining Food Management in 2014, Becky was with FoodService Director magazine for seven years, the last two as editor-in-chief. Becky is a history nerd and a sports fanatic, especially college football—Gig'em Ags—and tennis. A born and raised Texan, Becky currently resides in New York City.

Becky Schilling’s areas of expertise include the onsite foodservice industry (K-12 schools, colleges and universities, healthcare and B&I), foodservice menus, operational best practices and innovation.

Becky Schilling is a frequent speaker at industry events including The Association for Healthcare Foodservice (AHF), The National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) and The Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management (SHFM).

Becky Schilling’s experience:

Group Content Director, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (Feb. 2020-present)

Editor-in-chief Food Management (Nov. 2014-present)

Director of Content Strategy & Optimization, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (March 2019-Feb. 2020)

Editor-in-chief, Supermarket News (April 2019-March 2019)

Executive Editor, Supermarket News (July 2016-April 2017)

Editor-in-chief, FoodService Director magazine (March 2013-Oct. 2014)

Managing Editor (FoodService Director magazine (March 2012-March 2013)

Associate Editor (FoodService Director magazine (Nov. 2007-March 2012)

Contact Becky Schilling at:

[email protected]

@bschilling_FM

https://www.linkedin.com/in/becky-schilling-39194ba/

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