“As far as the snack, there’s going to be sushi, Kangaroo jerky, filet mignon,” Mr. Wheeler joked about what could be in the new snack and drink vending machine that will be coming to Liberty. As of late last year, it was confirmed that Liberty would be getting new vending machines. They will be coming back new and improved. 

When asked, Wheeler discussed why the machines were being removed. Supposedly, the new machines are going to contain differing types of brands such as Coke and Pepsi, not just one type. 

“Mr. Nelson always wants the best of the best, and usually these types of things deal with brands or financial workings,” Wheeler explained. 

It was also explained that these machines will also be turned off during lunch, but there are multiple reasons. 

A certain percentage of the vending machine money goes to Liberty, but the other percentage goes to the district, taking money away from the cafeteria.

“It takes a lot of money to keep the cafeteria going,” principal Mr. Nelson said. “You have the ovens and the stoves, you have the food, the drinks, and of course the employees which means benefits, pension, and retirement.” The expense to keep the cafeteria going already costs more than it was bringing in for the district, so with the vending machines on, it cuts more money from the cafeteria’s profit. 

Nelson originally wanted the machines to be on all day. However, “it was becoming such a problem with kids skipping class that we just decided to turn them off,” he said. 

Nelson is the one who decided the change of the vending machines. A vending machine usually gets switched out for a better deal, be it cheaper or if there are more varieties of products. 

Nelson currently doesn’t know when the new machines are supposed to arrive but Liberty will definitely be waiting to see all the new snacks when it does.

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