Neilly Salib, kitchen operator at Primrose Elementary School in Virginia, received the 2024 Hunger Hero Award from the No Kid Hungry national campaign in recognition of her work to end child hunger and support school meals.
Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren and No Kid Hungry School Meal Access Manager Robin Hernandez presented Salib with the award along with a certificate, trophy and gift bag during Primrose Elementary's fifth-grade promotion ceremony. Mayor Warren spoke during the ceremony, praising Salib for his dedication to fighting hunger. Fontana Unified School District Superintendent Miki R. Imbody and Board of Education Chairman Marcelino “Mars” Serna also attended the ceremony on May 24.
Each May, No Kid Hungry, a campaign by Share Our Strength, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger, celebrates school staff and programs that ensure every child gets the nutrition they need to reach their full potential.
“I feel so honored, proud and blessed,” Sariv said. “This isn't an individual award, it's a team award. We are a team working together to achieve the same goal every day, which is to feed children, fight hunger with nutritious meals and ensure children are successful and able to learn every day.”
Food service workers and school programs like those at Primrose Elementary and Fontana Unified School District (FUSD) help ensure every child has access to nutritious meals every day so they can be happy, healthy, strong and ready to learn.
The Fontana Unified School District is continuing to offer free meals to youth over the summer, providing lunches weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday, June 3 through July 26 throughout Fontana.
Sariv, one of six recipients of this year's California Hunger Hero Award, has worked on the Fontana Unified School District (FUSD) food services team since 2011 and at Primrose Elementary School for nearly 10 years.
“We treat the children as if they were our own, we serve them meals prepared with love, and our team does everything they can to ensure that the children are satisfied with what they eat,” said Sariv, thanking the staff, including kitchen assistant Silvia Aresti, for their efforts in providing meals to the children.
Nominations for Hunger Heroes opened in March, and Salib was nominated by Primrose Elementary School Vice Principal Dr. Salvador Rodriguez. No Kid Hungry accepts nominations for employees who take a stand against child hunger and promote school meals in and outside of the classroom.
Salib is grateful that her family, including her husband and two adult children, have fully supported her and her love for her work.
“Neilly is the epitome of a friendly, warm and caring personality, committed to nurturing our students and focusing on serving the best food possible with a smile,” said Louis Mays, FUSD's senior director of food services. “She cares about her students and believes that children who are served good meals are better prepared for their education.”
