[originaltext] When my first children’s book was published, I returned to my

When my first children’s book was published, I returned to my old elementary school to talk to the students about being an author and an illustrator. [23]When I was setting up my slide projector in the cafeteria, I found that my old lunch lady was still there and she was busily preparing lunches for the day. So I approached her to say hello. And she looked at me and recognized me. She started telling me about her grandkids, and that blew my mind.
    Well, that encounter inspired my imagination, and I created a series of comics about a lunch lady. And it’s been amazing, because the series was so welcomed into the reading lives of children, and they sent me the most amazing letters and cards and artwork.
    And I would notice as I would visit schools, the lunch staff would be involved in the programming in a very meaningful way.
    And coast to coast, all of the lunch ladies told me the same thing: "Thank you for making a superhero in our likeness." Because the lunch lady has not been treated very kindly in popular culture over time.
    [24]And that inspired me to create a day, School Lunch Hero Day, a day when kids can make creative projects for their lunch staff. And I partnered with the School Nutrition Association. Over 30 million kids participate in school lunch programs every day. That equals up to a little over five billion lunches made every school year.
    And the stories of heroism go well. There is Ms. Brenda in California, who keeps a close eye on every student that comes through her line and then reports back to the guidance counselor if anything is unusual.
    And kids made the most amazing projects. Kids made their own comics, starring the cartoon lunch lady alongside their actual lunch ladies. And they made thank-you pizzas, where every kid signed a different topping of a construction paper pizza.
    So I hope that you don’t wait for School Lunch Hero Day to say thank you to your lunch staff. [25] What they all do is important. They’re feeding our children every single day, and before a child can learn, their belly needs to be full, and these women and men are working on the front lines to create an educated society.
23. Whom did the speaker meet in his old elementary school?
24. What is School Lunch Hero Day?
25. What does the speaker think of lunch staff in schools?