Zander Bednall, originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, moved to Jefferson County 6 years ago and became a food service worker in Jefferson County School District. Although he wasn’t aware at the beginning, he
soon learned how low a priority healthy food is for students in Jeffco. With a grisly budget and an even grislier lack of nutritious options standing in the way, he made it a personal quest to find a way to provide access to free healthy food for all students. He’s organized many in his community, from teachers, to parents, to fellow ESPs to raise awareness that feeding our students what they deserve to eat is important to their education, and that profits from junk food sales have to stop.
Zander truly is an educator and takes his role as a food service worker very seriously. His first role working with kids was as a cook for a daycare. When he started working for Jeffco, he fell in love with the job and quickly found satisfaction in his work. Zander’s favorite thing in his work is teaching. He spends time teaching his students how to become conscious consumers and how to be sustainable. He believes that sharing the joy of cooking and eating healthy food with students is an important role for food service workers.
Zander decided to run for president of the Jefferson County Support Professionals Association (JESPA) food service local, Jefferson County School Food Services Association (JCSFSA) and became active with Coloradoans for the Common Good (CCG). He has led the effort to make sure healthy food for students is at the top of both JESPA’s and CCG’s list of priorities. He’s been working to organize coworkers to make
change in Jeffco. Zander’s now joined the JESPA bargaining team and plans to make sure food service workers’ voices are elevated in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
He is a Dungeons and Dragons enthusiast, plays the drums in a metal band called Liontortoise, and is engaged to be married.
Zander Bednall is a food service worker in Jefferson County and a proud member of the Jefferson County Support Professionals Association.