This grandma heard kids would be going lunch-less. So she went to a pub and cooked up a storm.
Phyllis Shaughnessy was dismayed when she learned the local meal program for low-income students would be cut for the summer.
Shaughnessy is a retired postmaster and a part-time substitute teacher in Copalis Beach, Washington. From her experience working with children, she would know that there are 15,000 kids and teens living below the poverty line in Grays Harbor County, where her town is located.
During the school year, low-income students can get their lunches through free or discounted meal programs at school.
But this year, the North Beach School District was forced to cut summer meals when the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) made a change to their grant requiring the meals be served in a single location — a nearly impossible task in a region with a spread out rural population.
Realizing that local low-income families couldn't afford to fill this gap, Shaughnessy decided to fill the gap herself.
Shaughnessy acquired a caterer's license and began bringing lunches to kids who were affected by the summer lunch program cut. She called the program "Green Lantern Lunches" after Green Lantern Pub in Copalis Beach, whose owners offered the pub's kitchen to prepare meals.
The pub does other cool stuff too, like host Harley-Davidson weekends:
Maybe they could deliver lunches? Green Lantern Pub/Facebook, used with permission.
Every morning, Shaughnessy and a handful of volunteers delivered lunches to more than 200 low-income children. 90 of those lunches were delivered by Shaughnessy herself.
Parents told reporters for USA Today how much their children enjoy seeing Shaughnessy each morning. The kids have come to anticipate the sight of her navy blue car with the custom-made "Green Lantern Lunches" signs on its doors.
All GIFS via USA Today/YouTube.
In USA Today's video, Shaughnessy says she doesn't just do it to give the children food, she does it for the human connection it brings, for "love and hope".
"They need to know that somebody cares," she says.
As of August, Shaughnessy and other volunteers reported delivering 6,851 meals. A recent feature on the show "The Real" put an updated estimate at 10,000 meals. That's amazing.
The program is now looking to purchase school supplies and provide the kids with meals on weekends and holidays.
They have set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds to keep their awesome program going.
I'm from Seattle and my mom and I have taken trips to Copalis Beach since I was a little kid. I remember driving past Green Lantern Tavern with its vibrant green walls and trim (and finally going in for a drink after I'd turned 21). This area gave me a lot of happy memories, and I wish its residents all the best.
Cheers to Phyllis Shaughnessy and her team, for all the happy memories you're giving to your community's kids.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."