Haley Hines watched a clip on the popular social media app TikTok and got an idea.
“It was of a teacher on the 'Kelly Clarkson Show' talking about how so many students don’t get a typical Thanksgiving where they are sitting with friends and family at a long table and eating together," said Hines, a paraprofessional at Northeastern Elementary.
The teacher in the clip set out to fix that.
So did Hines.
Armed with the idea, Hines wanted the school to send its students off on Thanksgiving break by all breaking bread together for one big meal. They decided on breakfast but only had five days to pull it off.
That didn’t prove to be a problem for teachers, parents, and staff, who banded together to scrounge together the necessary funds and supplies to create a whole-school breakfast.
The meal was held on Tuesday morning as waves of students filed in and out of the cafeteria to eat a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, and pancakes. The room was as filled with students as it was with laughter. Some volunteers got to school as early as 5:45 a.m. to start cooking while others worked the night before to pre-cook some of the food.
“All of the food was donated,” Hines explained. “We put something on the PTO (web)page and at the school, so many teachers and staff signed up. I think it was Friday night and we were only halfway there so several people put it on their pages. We were still getting donations on Sunday and got above and beyond what we needed.”
Hines said she hopes that a new Northeastern tradition was born.
“I sure hope (we do it every year),” she said. “It was awesome – they were so excited. It was something new – just a way for them all to eat together.”
“Some of the fifth graders actually said this was an experience they never had. So, with this being their last year, that was special,” Hines added.