“A c h i l d c a n n o t l e a r n
i f t h e y ’ re h u n g r y.”
students with healthy, filling meals throughout the day.

It combines photography by J.M. Giordano with art
by Laura Lynn Emberson of the Baltimore Polytechnic
Institute and three student art contest winners. These
visuals pair with audio by podcaster Aaron Henkin, who
has previously worked with the BMI for its Bethlehem
Steel Legacy Project.

The idea for the exhibit came about in 2021, when
the museum was holding its first-ever outdoor exhibit:
“Women of Steel,” honoring women working in the
steel industry. BMI’s community programs manager,
Auni Gelles, recalls that BCPS staff approached the
museum about doing a similar exhibit to recognize
Baltimore-area teachers and food service workers.

“We really leaned into first-person stories and audio
storytelling as part of our Bethlehem Steel Legacy
project,” says Gelles, also on the “Food for Thought”
curatorial team, “and found that an audio format was
a great way for workers to tell their own stories in
their own ways.”
“A lot of people don’t really understand what we
do,” says Sheila Alston, one of the nine workers fea-
tured in the exhibit. Alston worked as a BCPS food
service worker for 37 years. “I think it’s an opportunity
for people to really see what food service is all about.”
BCPS’s food service workers play an important
role in the lives of the children they feed. According
to St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore, a local nonprofit
dedicated to fighting poverty, one in three Baltimore
City children lives in a food desert and does not have
access to the healthy meals they need to thrive. Food
insecurity is a persistent problem in the Baltimore
22 Washington FAMILY
MARCH 2023
COURTESY OF BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF INDUSTRY
Baltimore City Public Schools staff
prepared more than 11 million meals
during the 2021-2022 school year.

UMKEHRER/E+/GETTY IMAGES
— SHELIA ALSTON
FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES STAFF, BCPS
“Food for Thought” exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Industry



area, with Feeding America’s “Map
the Meal Gap” project revealing
21.3% of Baltimore County residents
are classified as food insecure.

Through art, community members
can learn about this essential work,
and more importantly, say thank you.

“Food for Thought” includes a
hands-on component to thank food
service staff for their underappreciated
work, including a letter-writing station to
send notes to workers who impacted them
as students, with wider letter-writing cam-
paigns being planned for the future.

In much the same way, students enter-
ing the Virginia Lottery’s annual “Thank a
Teacher” art contest have found a way to
thank teachers that have affected them in a
positive way.

Jocelyn Turman, an eighth grade stu-
dent at Edward Drew Middle School in
Fredericksburg, Virginia—about 45 min-
utes southwest of Quantico, in Northern
Virginia—won the contest in 2022.

Beginning with a campaign from 2016 to
2017 that collected notes to teachers who’d
had a positive impact on people’s lives,
the art contest determining the illustra
illustra- tions that would appear on these notes
began in 2018.

“Teachers deal with so much every single
day. They are underpaid, work long hours,
teach multiple classes and have to teach so
many different students,” says Jocelyn. “I
think it’s amazing that they can deal with all
of that and still support all of us.”
The contest racked up 700 entries for
2023, with judging for the elementary, mid-
dle and high school divisions currently
underway. In addition to having student art
featured, the school districts of each winner
will also receive money for purchasing addi-
tional school supplies.

“We know that our educators are going
above and beyond each and every day to
shape the lives of Virginia’s future leaders,”
says Jennifer Mullen, the lottery’s
director of public affairs and com
com- munity relations. “They’re putting
in the blood, sweat and tears every
single day to work with these stu
stu- dents. I think every Virginian should
be thanking them for what they do.”
All proceeds of the state’s lottery
also benefit public education.

For Jocelyn, using art to show her appre-
ciation for her favorite teachers is only
fitting. She lists her elementary and mid-
dle school art teachers among the ones who
have impacted her the most, helping her
discover her passion for art.

“I think art is special because it’s a way to
show the world how you see things... There
are so many different kinds of art in which
to express yourself, and I love that every-
one’s art is unique to them,” she says.

Though art can be a great tool for educa-
tion, the very nature of art is one that can
connect us with people and ideas around
us—and as it educates us, it also brings to
light the teachers and staff members that
make that education possible. 1
SUMMER @chesterbrook academy
• Sports & games
• Exciting STEM activities
• Arts, crafts, music, dance & drama
• Field Trips & Events
• Kindergarten Enrichment program
It’s not just a camp. It’s an EXPERIENCE.

Chesterbrook Academy Preschool
School-Age Camp & Preschool Program • 877-959-3746
Aldie • Ashburn • Centreville • Clifton
CBA_WashingtonFamily_Camp_Mar23_7.125x4.625.indd 1
Learn More
2/7/23 3:32 PM
WashingtonFAMILY.com 23