The privately-owned catering company that has been providing student lunches from Diva’s Cafeteria inside West Central High School says it has shut down operations due to a lack of funding.
Since 2017, the cafeteria has been rented out and privately operated inside the school by Diva’s Catering Ltd., but now the owners say equipment used to provide breakfast and lunches have fallen into disrepair and they’ve been told by a person at Wild Rose School Division (WRSD) to close up shop.
Debbie McPhail, who has been working at the cafeteria for 18 years, says budget cuts are to blame, further clarifying that it’s the school division which has been responsible for the maintenance of equipment for several years.
“There really has been no maintenance done to anything, and now it’s wearing out,” says McPhail. “We had a meeting one day, they informed us they were closing the cafeteria down due to funding. They don’t have enough to fix things.”
Officials with Wild Rose say the division has no comment at this time and that officials will be discussing the matter further during the May 21 board meeting.
McPhail adds Diva’s is the only cafeteria in the large complex serving not only West Central High, but also St. Dominic Catholic High School and Red Deer Polytechnic’s (RDP) local campus.
McPhail says the cafeteria has been serving nearly 200 students daily, many of whom depended on the cafeteria not only for lunches, but a safe space within the school.
“There are many kids who struggle and don’t have a very good home life; we’ve seen it all,” says McPhail. “We had a young lady who came in, sat on the floor and just sobbed and sobbed. I got down on the floor and held her while she cried. It’s sad to think there won’t be anywhere where they feel safe to go.”
McPhail notes generous donations from the Little House Hopes thrift store in Rocky Mountain House allowed her, along with business partner Deni Piers, to provide some meals to students in need free of charge.
McPhail adds she would be happy to continue their work in the school, even with the equipment in its current condition. Much of the equipment is 18-years-old, with the dishwasher seemingly in its final days and a new walk-in freezer desperately needed, she says. A health inspector has also come in and seen the state of the equipment.
McPhail didn’t want to quote a number, but believes the cost of repairs would be many thousands of dollars.
The operators of Diva’s say they will be attending the meeting with WRSD on May 21 to discuss possible options for keeping the cafeteria open.
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