What can frito pie teach us about abundance? Meet Sharon Sanderson! For Sharon, food has been many things: an expression of love and comfort, a source of pain, and a way to share her cultural and family traditions with others throughout her life.

Childhood memories of her mom making beans and frybread shaped Sharon’s idea of the role that food plays in feeling safe and secure, but other memories, like relying on reduced lunch at school, weren’t as comforting.

“We got looked down on or made fun of for not having the right kind of food, but I think it made me stronger," she shares in her Nutritional Values booklet. "I had to stand up for other kids who weren’t as strong.”

Her astute understanding of food as a crossroads of physical nutrition, emotional nourishment, and general comfort led her to work at a school cafeteria. In this role, Sharon shared the power of food that she knew so well, with her students.

"I wanted to be more than the lunch lady. I would tell my ladies to cook with love, and I would add my own twist to the food we would serve."

To learn more about how Sharon connected with her community including working with Centro Sávila, a non-profit social services organization, visit www.centrosavila.org and check out their Nutritional Values conversation guide.