Welcome to Food Connects’ series highlighting the amazing essential workers in our community who work hard every day to keep our children fed. Read on to learn more!

Ariane Lavoie

Ariane Lavoie is a food service professional at Putney Central School, where she has worked for the past three years. We chatted with her in the late spring of 2020 about the pandemic and how it had affected her life and work.

Sheila Humphreys (SH): How has your work changed due to COVID-19?

Ariane Lavoie (AL): Less kids, more packaging! We work less hours because we don't have to clean up after lunch and do all the dishes and stuff like that, but I start work a little earlier. It's a little less hours, but not too different.

SH: What has kept you going during these unusual times?

AL: I really do it for the kids. We do it so the kids have something to eat. And we all feel an obligation to just do whatever we can to keep the community going.

SH: Do you have children at home?

AL: I do. I have an eight-year-old and an 18-year-old stepdaughter.

SH: How are you managing with child care?

AL: We're lucky because my husband is working from home. He's been doing the morning shift with the kids, and then I come home at lunchtime and I help my daughter with schoolwork.

SH: What has been your biggest challenge during this time?

AL: My biggest challenge is not letting anxiety take over. At work, it seems like we're just making food and everything's okay, it’s normal. But it sort of takes a toll on all of us. Even if we don’t necessarily feel it all the time, you know, like “oh, my gosh, I'm so stressed right now,” but it’s just there all the time. Managing that anxiety is the biggest challenge, but once again, I think we're really lucky to be able to work with other people and see each other at work every day and have this sense of community and be social more than if we were all stuck in our houses working remotely.

SH: How can the community support you and other food service workers during this time?

AL: The community in general recognizes and appreciates what we've been doing, which is amazing. We're in a public school setting where we need to check every penny and try to keep everything cheap. We're doing a good job here making food from scratch, and it's more expensive. If the government could just see that scratch cooking is the right way of doing things that would be helpful.

SH: What advice would you give to someone who is interested in this career?

AL: First, good choice. You're gonna love it! Get ready to be a hard worker, it’s hard work working in any kitchen I think. But it's fun and rewarding and we have great working conditions at this school. If there's a snowstorm, I'm there with my daughter, I don't need to go to work or take the day off or anything like that. So it's a wonderful job. I would encourage anybody to come and work in the kitchen with me!

SH: What brings you joy? 

AL: So many things bring me joy. First of all, we live in Vermont, so just look outside and you will find joy. Music brings me joy, flowers and gardening bring me joy, food brings me joy! My dog and my family bring me joy.

SH: What are some things that you are grateful for?

AL: This glorious day that we have today, and my health. I practice gratitude every day, so I could go on for ½ an hour with what I’m grateful for! I’m grateful for these guys that I work with and that we get along and we’re not at each other’s throats since this started. I’m grateful for Vermont because there couldn’t be a better place to live during this crisis. I’m grateful for my house and my family.

SH: Final thoughts?

AH: We’re doing what we’re doing and we’re going to keep doing it!