They may not know her name, but Sandy Hearn is a very important person to hundreds of children we hold near and dear.

Hearn is the ultimate child nutrition worker — no longer known as lunchroom ladies — and she has the trophy to prove it.

Congratulations to Hearn, who was named a School Nutrition Hero, one of five chosen nationally, presented by the School Nutrition Foundation.

The award is presented to school nutrition workers who make a difference in the lives of students, apply their skills in the community to help feed others, influence the success of a cause, make a difference in their co-workers lives and use their nutrition knowledge to improve the school.

Hearn, whose job is known as a child nutrition technician, has been working in child nutrition for the Vicksburg Warren School District for 24 years, the majority of that time spent at Vicksburg High School. She manages the cafeteria operation there, including a staff of 11.

You know how difficult it is to feed your child at home, catering to their particular, finicky appetite. Imagine the job of satisfying hundreds of children every day.

That’s Hearn’s job, and by all accounts she does it well. At Vicksburg High School, she is charged with making certain seven entrees are prepared daily — some of them from scratch — to feed 800 students over four lunch periods, all the while making certain the meals they serve fall within recommended nutritional guidelines and requirements for calories, fat and sodium.

That’s no small task.

Hearn’s good works don’t stop there. Hearn has a heart for students with special needs. She is a member of the board of directors of Jacob’s Ladder, volunteers at Camp Silver Cloud and is a softball coach with several organizations, such as Special Olympics, the Mississippi Mudbugs and the Challenger League.

It’s people like Sandy Hearn who make our school district special, and make our community a better place in which to live.

On behalf of Vicksburg and Warren County’s children, thank you, Ms. Hearn, and congratulations.