That’s how Megan Hall sums up what she does — and if you spend even a few minutes in her company, you’ll believe it.

Every morning before the first bell rings at JCJH/NCHS, Megan ties her apron, checks the ovens, and helps ready breakfast for hundreds of students. She and her two coworkers rotate jobs every week — cooking, serving, and working the dish room — so everyone knows how to do everything. “If one of us is out sick, the others can step in,” she explains. “We’re a team, and we all pull together.”

Before joining the Jasper County Schools food service crew in January 2025, Megan spent twelve years as a certified nursing assistant, a job that taught her how much small acts of care can mean. “You really learn patience in that work,” she says. “A little kindness goes a long way — it can change someone’s whole day.”

When her husband’s career as a police officer took the family to Greenup, Megan tried commuting but found herself missing Newton. “It just wasn’t home,” she says. “Newton was.” When a school position opened, she saw her chance to return to the kind of purpose that had defined her earlier work. “This job feels right,” she says. “It’s about helping people, just in a different way.”

Her mornings start early, often before sunrise. She helps prepare breakfast, then pivots quickly to lunch service before cleaning up and getting ready to do it all again the next day. “It’s never dull,” she laughs. “You see every kind of kid — the sleepy ones, the jokesters, the quiet ones. Some of them come through that line, and you just know this might be the only real meal they’ll have today. That matters.”

It’s a truth that keeps her grounded. “You can’t learn on an empty stomach,” Megan says simply. “So we make sure they get what they need.”

Megan and her husband have two children — a third grader and a kindergartner, both attending schools in the district. “It’s great having them so close,” she says. “They argue like any brother and sister, but they’re good kids.”

She smiles when asked if she ever imagined herself working in a school kitchen. “Never,” she admits, laughing. “But I love it. There’s always something to do, and no two days are the same.”

Her favorite part, though, isn’t the food — it’s the people. “The kids make it all worth it,” she says. “If I can make them smile in the morning, that’s the best start to any day.”

She’s found the same warmth among her coworkers and community. “This place is special,” she says. “People here help each other. That’s not normal everywhere, but it’s normal in Newton. That’s why it feels like home.”

For the hundreds of students who count on a warm meal and a familiar face each day, Megan Hall and her team do more than feed a school — they nourish a community.