Food Frenzy

By Colin Graettinger and Alison Moore

On any given night over the last six weeks, early evening in the Foley Freeze classroom was greeted with a cacophony of teens and mentors jostling for dinner before they started worked on this year’s robot. The team chowed down on everything from Chinese entrees to Filipino BBQ with rice — along with a steady stream of pizzas and sub sandwiches.

Since most of the more than 60 students on the Foley Freeze team stay after school for their shifts, dinner is a necessity. Many kids don’t have a car, or the cash, to eat out every night, or take time away from the hectic schedule. Therefore, each family is asked to serve two meals during the season.

The meal program is a part of a broader commitment by parents, teachers, former teammates and members of the community to ensure the Foley Freeze has the resources to compete in the FIRST Robotics Competition. Just as money is needed to make sure the equipment is available to assemble the robot, a healthy variety of food is required to keep the brains working. Providing dinner for the team brings parents who aren’t mentors closer to the team and lets them see what’s happening.

There is  a wide variety of dishes provided each week, which students and mentors say makes coming to robotics enjoyable — just to see what is being served. Pulled pork sandwiches, chilli, loaded baked potatoes, and a hefty mix of pastas are in the lineup this year. The meals ensure there’s a steady supply of leftovers in the fridge for snacking between meals.

Parents sometimes compete over days to bring in food so they can be there on better days such as birthdays, holidays, and even weekends. One mentor occasionally brings in a cake on random occasions to boost the spirits of the team.

“I remember last year my wife and daughter surprised me by providing dinner on my birthday. It was such a surprise to have a cake and dinner that they knew I would love for my 50th birthday! I couldn’t have asked for a better day,” said team mentor David Moore.