Hunger to Help: Mosley connects families to key resources

Josh Mosley, School Nutrition Program Lead Manager for Free & Reduced, ensures students get the healthy meals they need to succeed.

Mosley processes all free and reduced lunch applications that the Fayette County Public Schools Nutrition Program receives. Families must signup every year for the USDA program, and he has the applications, both paper and online versions, ready at the start of July. 

The applications received affects our system’s funding, so Mosley checks for integrity and accuracy by verifying information. That helps ensure that resources are directed to the families who need them most. 

Elementary school students who are approved are entitled to breakfast, lunch, and the snack program. Middle and high school students receive breakfast and lunch. 

Along with being part of the free & reduced program, signups include access to other benefits like waivers for SAT and ACT fees, discounts on summer programs, and waivers for college application fees. They are all pieces in the puzzle of helping out families. 

“Our goal is to meet every child that needs assistance where they are,” said Mosley. 

Love of food is definitely a family thing for Mosley. His mother loves to bake, and his father was a chef and caterer. His father started a catering business that the family continued on in his honor after he passed. 

Josh has fond memories of visiting his father when he worked in the cafeteria at a hospital. He got to see his dad at work, and he got to try new things. 

“It was inspiring,” he remembered. “It made me want to do the same thing he did, but in a school system.” 

A product of free & reduced lunch himself, he remembers the care he felt in the cafeteria, and he always pays that forward. 

“I used to love school lunch. It was my favorite time of day,” he said. “I remember the lunch ladies and the impact they had on all the kids.” 

He doesn’t take his responsibility lightly. He knows his work is key in helping families lift a weight off their shoulders. 

“It just fulfills my purpose,” he said. “You never know what children are going through, and, for some children, this is the only meal they get. To know that I’m a part of that is just amazing.” 

Mosley is an enthusiastic recruiter for anyone who wants to join the School Nutrition Program team. It goes beyond the great hours and great food, it is a job with a purpose. 

“You will get to come to a job that you love coming to every single day,” he said. “You get to be a part of making great meals, and you get to work with a group of people that all have one common goal and that’s just to serve children and meet kids’ needs.” 

“The Honor Role,” an official podcast for Fayette County Public Schools, features employees, rotating through key stakeholders, including teachers, staff, nurses, custodians, cafeteria workers, and bus drivers. Join us as we dive in and learn about their journeys, their inspirations, and their whys.

Episodes are available on all major podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and promoted on the social media channels of Fayette County Public Schools.

Episodes will also be available here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2200811.