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Cafeteria Worker Writes And Draws On Bananas To Inspire Elementary School Students

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Rachel Kramer Bussel|

An elementary school cafeteria worker is going viral for the inspiring messages she writes for students on bananas, reports The Washington Post. Stacey Truman, the cafeteria manager at Kingston Elementary School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, serves up the popular yellow fruit along with sayings like "You are loved" and "Follow your dreams." She even manages to write longer notes, such as "It isn't where you come from, it's where you're going that counts."

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The fun banana project took the internet by storm after the school's principal, Sharon Shewbridge, posted photos of the notes on Twitter, drawing the attention of Dole. According to WTKR, the fruit producer wanted to extend the kindness by donating 550 bananas to the school so that each student could get their very own note, along with a healthy children's cookbook.

Truman told The Washington Post she writes the notes to help uplift the students she interacts with each day. "I want them to succeed in life and have an awesome day at school," she said. "Whenever I can put a smile on all of those little faces, I've done my job."

Truman appeared along with some of the school's students on a recent episode of "Good Morning America." The mom of two teared up recalling her very personal inspiration — she used to write banana messages for her own children, Mackenzie, 10, and Kayleigh, 7, when she wouldn't see them for a week.

The kids call them "talking bananas," Truman explained on the morning show, and she says kids tell her "that it makes them a better person and a better friend." But that's not all — the creative cafeteria worker has also put a wide range of emojis on oranges. That's true dedication! If you want to learn how you can use kindness to help make someone else's life better, check out our most inspiring food stories.

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