Food for Thought: Spotlighting Baltimore's Frontline Food Service Workers

ABSTRACT

This article outlines a collaboration between staff from the Baltimore City Public School district Food and Nutrition Services and the Baltimore Museum of Industry. The Food for Thought project honors the frontline food service workers who nourished Baltimore students throughout the pandemic and inspires action to address food insecurity. A temporary exhibition at the museum is complemented by a permanent installation at the school district headquarters. This project was more than its end product. This partnership required active listening, remaining open to new models of thinking, and evolving expectations. Its structure demanded that we all respect varied expertise within and outside our institutions. While not perfect, this partnership aimed to move beyond collaboration to co-creation by offering multiple opportunities for participants to make decisions. The effort to support community well-being starts with engaging with partners in true collaboration based on mutual respect, shared goals, and building off each other’s strengths.

KEYWORDS:

• Co-creation
• K-12 education
• partnerships
• exhibition development
• COVID-19 pandemic

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to all of the dedicated staff in Baltimore City Public Schools’ Food and Nutrition Services department for their work nourishing Baltimore youth.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Buczynski, Freishtat, and Buzogany, “Mapping Baltimore City's Food Environment”.

2 Ibid.

3 “Strategy to Improve Nutritional Security and Minimize Hunger”.

4 Marchetta and Doherty, “Food & Nutrition Services Annual Update,” slide 14.

5 “Strengthening Museums to Foster Social Resilience”.

6 Kampschulte and Hatcher, “Changing Museums Through Cooperation and Collaboration”.

7 Lashaw and Orantes, “Sharing Authority,” 106–107.

8 Singer, “Museums as Predators”.

Additional information

Funding

Supported by the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, this project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Baltimore City Public Schools Food and Nutrition Services department with additional support from McCormick and Co. and Southway Builders.

Notes on contributors

Auni Gelles

Auni Gelles is the Community Programs Manager at the Baltimore Museum of Industry. She holds a Masters in Historical Studies from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Beth Maloney

Beth Maloney is the Director of Interpretation at the Baltimore Museum of Industry, where she leads the education and programs team and collaborates on exhibition development and institutional planning. In addition, she runs an independent consulting practice, coaching staff at museums, historic sites and cultural organizations as they create engaging, interpretive experiences.

Elizabeth Marchetta

Elizabeth Marchetta is the Executive Director of Food & Nutrition Services at Baltimore City Public Schools. She has worked in the nonprofit and public sector for much of her career and holds a joint Masters in Public Health and Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University.

Anne Rosenthal

Anne Rosenthal is the Farms to School Specialist with Baltimore City Public Schools and has worked in Community and Public Health in various capacities. She holds a Masters of Public Health degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.