Lunches from Frank’s Place were served at Klager last Wednesday to show appreciation to the teachers and staff. Riverside and the Jr/Sr High School will have their turns this week and next. (Photo courtesy of Theresa Herron).

Teachers and all school staff have been under incredible stress for the past year. Many parents, grandparents, and community members have tried to think of ways to express their appreciation for the job that our Manchester teachers have been doing.

“They have poured countless hours into the end of last year and this year,” said parent Erica Finnegan. “They’ve been asked to do what few teachers are asked to do … teach two different classrooms, virtual and in-person, at the same time! And they’ve done this because they love and support our kids!”

As someone who loves to plan things, Erica says she was happy to have the opportunity to show the teachers a small token of gratitude with the support of her community. She lined up a donor who offered to help her get the ball rolling, then Erica and Jessica Bushaw from Frank’s Place, collaborated to figure out how to make individually packaged lunches for the teachers, parapros, and special teachers, including mostaccioli, side salad, and bread.

Shortly after posting the need for donations, Erica was overwhelmed with messages and donations that far exceeded her expectations. So she added cookies and drinks to her orders. The donations kept rolling in, doubling the amount she’d originally hoped to raise, so she raised the ante … and arranged to feed all the school staff, including bus drivers, custodians, central office staff, building secretaries, food service, and the preschool.

“Any leftover funds after that I will use for other fun ideas, like doughnuts and coffee in the break rooms, to show our support to the teachers and staff over the next couple of months,” she said.

Notes of appreciation from donors were also included with the lunches. People can still send encouraging messages to the teachers and staff by contacting Erica via personal message on Facebook. She will print out your message and include it with the lunch deliveries.

“I started this campaign in hopes of making the teachers feel valued and appreciated for going above and beyond their job descriptions,” Erica explained. “They have more than doubled their workload this year and still met my children with smiles on their faces each day. They have waded through the varying emotional states of their students and have provided a variety of platforms for children to learn.

“Manchester teachers have put their own health on the line to invest in my children’s educations so this was the least I could do.”

Last week, Klager Elementary School staff was treated to lunch on Wednesday, and this week will be Riverside Intermediate’s turn. The Junior/Senior High School staff will receive lunch next week.

Klager Speech-Language pathologist Theresa Herron posted how this simple act of kindness brightened her day. “I don’t usually Facebook during the school day,” she said, “but WOW and thanks! What a lovely lunch! I even ate lunch with a colleague today — I have been eating at my desk for most of the year.”

When times are tough, said Erica, “I know one thing about Manchester teachers and families … we come together. When I posted this idea on Facebook, I had no doubt in my mind that the generous families of Manchester would donate, but what amazed me was the eagerness of the families to show their support.”

In under an hour, Manchester families almost doubled the amount originally requested; a few days later, they had tripled the amount requested. “Not only have they given above and beyond, but I had so many people express gratitude for having an avenue to show our Manchester Community School Staff just how thankful we truly are for them,” said Erica.

If Manchester teachers had any doubts about how much they are appreciated, those doubts can probably be put to rest.