West Virginia teachers ensure students get lunch during strike

The thing about being a teacher is that it’s tough to not work.

“It’s not a job for us," says teacher Della Gilliam. "It’s a passion.”

Especially when you see kids with a need, like for a lunch at school that might not otherwise get.

“Most of our students eat [school lunch]," White Sulphur Springs Elementary principal Ann Smith says. "So we wanted to be sure that they had some nutrition on these days when they’re not at school.”

So at places like the White Sulphur Springs Baptist Church, the teachers and communities have been pulling together to organize lunches throughout the days of the teachers’ strike.

“We just wanted to make sure that our students and families had what they needed when they weren’t in school as far as food,” Smith explains.

“We just worry about their wellbeing as well as their academics," Gilliam says. "So we want to make sure they’re being fed during this time.”

So not only are families coming by, teachers are loading bags into their cars to take out to families that can’t make it into town.

But, as they check to get the latest from Charleston, what they want most is to get back into school.

Smith says: “We’ve been missing them and want to get them back.”