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Food service reports strong summer outreach, staffing gains and high high‑school lunch turnout
Summary
Food service officials reported expanded summer meal sites with the Albany Housing Authority, higher staff hiring (116 staff with 11 vacancies), and a strong start to school lunch participation at Albany High in the new cafeteria.
The district’s food service leader reported an early‑year update showing expanded summer feeding and staffing gains heading into the school year.
The district and the Albany Housing Authority partnered to offer free breakfast and lunch at 27 city sites during the summer; the presenter said roughly two‑thirds of those meals were served at district locations and one‑third at Housing Authority sites. The district moved its central kitchen to Arbor Hill for summer operations and said the arrangement improved distribution logistics.
Food services said staffing increased rapidly: the program now employs about 116 staff with roughly 11 vacancies (four full‑time, six part‑time and one cook manager still open). The presenter said that is a significant improvement from the prior year, when vacancies numbered in the 30s.
At Albany High School, the food service leader said participation showed an “extraordinary” start: on two recent days the program served about 1,500 and 1,600 lunches, compared with typical lunch counts near 1,100 historically. The department is expanding made‑to‑order station concepts and refining service lines to meet demand.
The district continues its contract partnership with Aramark for management and emphasized staff training sessions, expanded customer‑service orientation and promotional efforts such as NutriSlice menus and themed national lunch events planned for October.
Board members praised the department’s outreach and noted interest in site‑level participation data so that the district and partners can adjust site resources. Presenters said they track participation by site, day and meal, and will share trends to inform future summer and community feeding plans.
No formal action was taken; food service leaders said they will continue to report participation and staffing metrics to the board.
