Lunches Made With Love: Giving Tuesday at Wayne Metro

Thayine Uddin, a Nutrition Aide explains, “Cultural food is more nutritious. Whenever we have a potluck at our site, Bengali staff bring Biryani. I thought, ‘Why not put it on the menu?’ Staff and students both love it!”

“I love the kids,” explains Tania Walker, a Nutrition staff member, “I put my heart into cooking. I like to see the kids eating and enjoying their food. It makes me feel good to encourage kids to try new things.”

Wayne Metro’s Nutrition Services coordinates healthy meal delivery to vibrant communities that have specific needs based on cultural or religious preferences and income. All of the communities served have the highest poverty rates in Michigan, which range from 28% to 64% of children under age 18 living in poverty (censusreporter.org). Wayne Metro in 2022 ensured meals for over 2,000 children at:

• 14 Wayne Metro early childhood education centers,
• 24 public schools,
• 15 youth summer programs, and
• 9 Brilliant Detroit community hubs.

Wayne Metro partners with numerous organizations to efficiently deliver meals. No Kid Hungry, a nation-wide organization with the mission to end childhood hunger, recently recognized Wayne Metro for its work with a grant to purchase a cargo van. The cargo van will increase healthy meals prepared by the agency’s own expert kitchen staff.