This month we hear from Cassie Johnson, LCEC Kitchen Assistant, about Kids Café, Breakfast Club, and more. She spoke with Administrative Assistant Cliff Wilford.
“I love my job here,” Cassie offers. “I love feeding the kids and I love making the food to serve the kids.”
Cassie is a member of two important teams at the LCEC:
- The Breakfast Club crew plans, prepares, and serves hot food and coffee for the Breakfast Optimist Club early on Tuesday mornings.
- The Kids Café crew plans, prepares, and serves snacks and hot meals for the LCEC’s K-12 afterschool and summer programs.
Both teams were formed in 2012 with staff from the Madison Metropolitan School District’s Special Education Department. Cassie hasn’t been here that long, but she’s been contributing healthy food and good cheer from the LCEC’s kitchen for years now.
“I started coming in high school,” she says. “I was in the 21 program [at Memorial], so I started coming here to work when I was doing that 21 program. James was here before me,” Cassie continues. “I took over his position. That was after COVID hit when you reopened.”
When asked what’s most fulfilling about her job, Cassie replies, “To see [kids] happy with their smiley faces and making the food for them. I love to meet new people here, like new staff, and it’s a really safe place, for me it is.”
When asked about the future, Cassie shares with a laugh, “Yeah, I want to stay here for five years ‘cuz I love it here … you guys are stuck with me forever.”