Hold These Dates - 2008 Annual Professional Development Training

This year’s the Annual Back-to School Training will be held August 4 and 5 at Lower Richland High School.

Food Service Operators and Truck Drivers for the Lower Richland Central Kitchen Annex will also meet on Wednesday, August 6 at Lower Richland.

Top Steppers for Breakfast & Lunch - Congratulations

Food Drive in Honor of Martin Luther King

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Foundation Committee in conjunction with The City of Columbia as well as Richland School District One and Student Nutrition Services will honored the legacy of Dr. King by collecting food for Harvest Hope Food Bank during the months of December and January.

We would like to thank everyone for their generosity. As of January 18 the following pounds of food was collected from the following base kitchens:

Thank you to everyone for your donations.  If you have any ideals on how to organize this event for our department next year, please give us a call.

What is Change - and How Do We Handle It

Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary states "Change" is:

• to make different in some particular thing, event

• to make radically different

• to give a different position, course, or direction to

• to replace with another

• to make a shift from one to another

• to exchange for an equivalent sum or comparable item

• to undergo a modification of

• to undergo transformation, transition or substitution

How to Handle Change:

• Focus on rewards. Every change has costs and benefits.

• Change on your own. Get into the habit of change by trying new experiences and pursuing new knowledge when you don't have to.

• Use self-talk. Spend a few minutes each day talking to yourself about change. Try making positive statements about change and embrace it, like "I like trying new things" or "I enjoy learning and growing."

• Look for strength. Acknowledge that change takes courage and strength, and recognize those qualities in your workers, both individually and as a group

• Encourage change outside of work. Develop yourself personally with classes, community work, etc.

-Adapted from "Change for the better," by Jim Estrada, on the Selling Power Web site.

Lower Richland Central Kitchen Annex

In an effort to improve the quality and service of our food, Student Nutrition Services has begun implementing a new meal delivery plan. With this new system the food will be cooked, flash frozen (cooled in a very short period of time) and transported cold or frozen to each kitchen where it will then be reheated (cooked) at the site. This method will preserve the foods integrity and improve the appearance, taste, and texture (overall quality) of the food. The equipment used in this process uses moist heat versus dry heat to evenly heat the food to proper temperature without compromising the quality of the food. Food cooks evenly and retains proper moisture versus the current system that uses dry heat and produces overcooked or dried out food items.

You are getting a chance to get in on it on the ground floor. With your help and encouragement we hope to begin implementing the plan in June 2008.

The schools that are in the LRCK Annex are:

Richland One Salutes Schools That Were
Generous to PIE and United Way

Sites that had at least 85 percent of employee participation in the United Way campaign were: Arden, Burnside, Burton/Pack, Caughman Rd. Rhame, E.E. Taylor, Webber, Dreher, and Central Kitchen.

Thank you for your participation.

Taking the Edge off Stress
By Becky Schilling

In a 2007 Harris Interactive Poll, Attitudes in the American Workplace, found that 28% of employees had reported screaming due to stress and 20% having been driven to tears. Stress in the workplace on not only bothersome; it can lead to health issues, increased staff turnover, and even violence. You must find a way to unwind.

Some suggestions in this article were to get creative. One food serve director took up beading. One took up baking fresh bread. One took up putting the top down on her Corvette, cranking up the music and letting the wind blow away the stress. The two best ways we all are aware of are laughter (we all know when we laugh the world laughs with us and when we cry we cry along) and exercise. Not only is exercise a good stress reliever it is good for the body.

One university foodservice director created staff goodwill with unannounced socials. The director and his leadership team would go out and do impromptu socials with treats as a way to visit employees in their environment while understanding that all people could not get away from their individual work area and come to a scheduled function. If employees do not see leadership members on daily basis, they feel disconnected. Surprise socials help relieve stress by helping other employees know that they and their contributions are cared about.

In Memory

On Friday, January 11, 2008, Mrs. Naomi Sumter Billie was called home to be with the Lord.  Mrs. Billie left behind her loving husband of 43 years Frank, 2 loving children, and a host of other relatives and friends.   Ms. Billie worked as a food service operator at Webber.  She had worked for Student Nutrition Services since September 13, 1999.  She will be missed.

On Wednesday, February 20, 2008, Mrs. Edwina Jones Hampton was called home to be with the Lord.  Mrs. Hampton left behind her loving husband of 27 years Julius, 2 loving children, and a host of other relatives and friends.   Ms. Hampton worked as a food service operator at Alcorn.  She had worked for Student Nutrition Services since August 2007.  She will be missed.

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Ecclesiastes 3:1