BALTIMORE — You hear their names, see their pictures, and read their stories.
These are just a few of the food nutrition specialists who feed our children in the Baltimore City Public Schools.
"Having to be here at the Baltimore Museum of Industry where we can see ourselves is awesome," said Gail Pendelton.
Pendelton was full of pride for herself and her co-workers from the city school's food and nutrition services team.
The museum is honoring them with a special exhibit.
"We wanted to highlight individual stories with portraits and the interviews to try and shine a light, a spotlight on everything that that are doing for our kids," said Beth Maloney.
Pendelton has been with the district for 35 years. She says they're a critical part of the education process.
"We're feeding the students and the students are so important to us that we feed them on a daily basis so they can get the education which they need to fuel them throughout the day," Pendelton said.
When you walk through the Food for Thought exhibit, you see thank you notes from students, artwork, and an interactive display of how the workers guide students in making healthier eating choices.
You'll also hear in their own voices moving stories of other experiences they've had with students over the years.
"We're here for the families. We're here for the students. What we do is important. A hungry child doesn't learn. They can't learn because they focus on their stomachs and their hunger," Pendelton said.
Maloney says the museum's goal is always to highlight working people.
"That's a key part of what we wanted to was honor the work of people who might not be as recognized, whose labor might not be as recognized." Maloney said.
And that was also the case during the pandemic.
Pendelton says people didn't see what they did for their families. When schools were closed, they were open for them with deliveries and pickups.
"Families were so happy that we were there to provide those meals. It was just an experience. Some families they were crying," said Pendelton.
Pendelton started the job when her kids were young and in school to have a similar schedule, years later she's still there and has no regrets.
"I started to love what I did. I started to fall in love with it and that's why I'm still here," Pendelton said.
