Meeting Street Academy – Spartanburg became a hub of support after Hurricane Helene because of the school’s cafeteria team.
Cafeteria Manager Amber Fortenberry had the idea to open the cafeteria to serve lunches even though the school was closed. Because of her and her team’s efforts, Meeting Street Academy – Spartanburg provided more than 1,000 meals to both parents and students who had lost homes, property and power during the storm.
“If I was going to eat, the families needed to eat, too,” Amber said.
Amber was inspired to action after she and the cafeteria’s two other employees, Mitzi Jeter and Jasmine Haywood, returned to the school to throw out food that was ruined from the storm.
She knew many families were struggling, so she made a suggestion to the school’s leadership. She, Mitzi and Jasmine could cook meals for students and their families using whatever they could find in the freezer.
Once approved, the women got to work. They were able to cook over 200 meals a day, serving everything from pizza and hamburgers to cheese quesadillas.
But serving meals wasn’t enough for Amber. She and a group of former and current teachers traveled to a nearby neighborhood to check on students and bring them food. They ate at picnic tables and watched as they played football.
“The kids showed gratitude,” she said. “You could tell they were happy we were there and made sure to say, ‘thank you.’”
Amber did all of this despite the hardships she was facing from the storm. Her family, including three children ages 9 – 15, were without power for nine days.
“It was hard to leave my family,” but Amber said she was happy to help.
Throughout her career Amber has worked at many schools, but said this one is different.
“We’re a family and we work like a well-oiled machine,” she said. “This is the most family-oriented school I’ve ever worked for.”
