After a career in restaurants, Jorge Galindo has spent the last twelve years as a cafeteria manager in El Paso’s schools. Over the past two years, Galindo, or Mr. G as he’s known to his students, has been serving the students at Clendenin Elementary school. “I’m a proud Clendenin Unicorn,” he says.
For Galindo, feeding the children of Texas is personal. “I grew up with cafeteria food,” he explains, “I was in a low-income area... and I knew a lot of the ladies that worked in the cafeterias... When I was in football, one of the ladies was a good friend of the family, and she knew when game day was coming to slip me an extra portion because she wanted me to make that extra tackle.”
Galindo has carried this memory with him as he makes an effort to return the favor to the students of El Paso ISD, 29% of whom live below the poverty line.
Galindo and his staff aim to provide students with the nutrients they need to stay focused in class and their extra curriculars. They make lunches for kids that include vegetables, protein, and carbs.
Feeding the kids is not only about providing food and nutrition for Galindo, it’s about having fun. Once a month, Galindo and the entire cafeteria staff dress up as Dr. Seuss characters and serve green eggs and ham, “I’m like a kid at heart” he says.
Galindo’s team also makes an effort to serve homemade, culturally conscious meals, including tacos, burritos, Asian noodle bowls, lo mein, and orange chicken. “On Wednesday we have carne asada, fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, and homemade salsa,” he says. “And on the third week of the month, on Mondays, we do meatless Mondays.”
Trump Administration Cuts to School Meals
Changes to school lunch funding under the current administration have brought on new challenges when it comes to Galindo’s fun and nutritious meals. “Historically, I was able to order iceberg lettuce, now iceberg lettuce isn’t available... because of the changes in administration and the cutbacks a lot of the items that we used to be able to order are a lot scarcer. It’s a bigger load on our budget,” he says.
Last year, the Trump Administration made historic cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which experts estimate will leave 18 million children without free school meals.
Funding cuts also impact the ability of cafeteria workers to get by. “Our union was asking for a three percent raise, and that has to be put on hold,” Galindo shares, “Me and my wife, she’s also an educator, we’re struggling to stay afloat.”
Education Support Professionals (ESPs), such as cafeteria staff, earn some of the lowest wages within education. ln fact, NEA research from 2022 found that up to 17 percent of school food service workers rely on SNAP themselves to put food on the table.
Why Does School Lunch Matter So Much?
For some students across the country, school lunch is the healthiest meal they will get. And for some, it’s their only meal of the day. Much like Galindo growing up, millions of American children rely on school lunch to provide them with the fuel to study, play sports, and be kids.
Without SNAP eligibility, more families will be forced to go into debt to cover school meals, or more students will go hungry.
“A hungry child is a child that’s going to have behavioral issues... lack focus... struggle with some kind of ailment,” Galindo says. He's right. Research has consistently shown that children who experience food insecurity struggle to focus, have poor academic outcomes, face mental health problems, and present more behavioral challenges.
The Future: Free Healthy Meals for All Students
On School Lunch Hero Day (May 1), the stakes have never been clearer. Since 2013, School Lunch Hero Day has celebrated food service workers like Galindo for the positive impact they have on students‘ lives, even as they absorb budget cuts, stretch shrinking supplies, and fight to keep one guaranteed meal on the table, so kids won’t go hungry.
“To secure breakfast, lunch, and dinner for every child would mean the world,” Galindo says.
