CNS Department moves into state-of-the-art facility

Aldine ISD’s Child Nutrition Services Department (CNSD) has a new home, and what a home it is!

On Monday, Feb. 8, the new CNSD headquarters opens at 1802 Aldine Bender Drive.

For the last 20 years, the department was housed in a facility on Aldine Meadows Road. The new building is 42,000 square feet. The new facility features 12 training rooms, a culinary training kitchen and outdoor space for a garden. The culinary kitchen will feature a camera system that will provide live demonstrations and training that can be streamed to adjoining rooms in the facility.

Dani Sheffield, executive director of the CNSD, said she and her staff are looking forward to working in their new state-of-the-art surroundings.

“We are extremely excited to have a facility that can provide much needed space for meeting and expanding our services and stakeholder relationships with students, staff, parents and vendors,” she said.

Sheffield added Aldine ISD students will also benefit from the new facility.

[quote]“The new facility will offer our students opportunities to be more involved in the selection process of menu items through food shows and exhibits that will take place,” Sheffield said. “It will also provide students with opportunities to participate in health and wellness events such as a Chef’s Kids Camp during the summer to gain knowledge of food, cooking skills and healthy eating habits. There will also be opportunities for parent involvement and education through our Health and Wellness Council, nutrition events and food exhibits.”[/quote]

The new facility will also enable the department to accommodate a large number of staff for year-round training. In addition, Sheffield said the new facility, which is much larger than the former one, will be able to house CNSD’s HR staff, its accountability staff, accounts payable staff, clerical, training staff, maintenance, menu planning staff and its food production staff.

“We now have ample space to perform job responsibilities and service to all of our stakeholders,” Sheffield said.