Behind the Scenes with Hollie Ackerman

When flooding forced Oneida High School to temporarily close and its students to relocate to the middle school, the disruption reached far beyond classrooms and schedules. Much of the work happened quietly behind the scenes, where our dedicated staff rose to the challenge with unwavering commitment and compassion.

Behind the scenes, the Food Service Department was faced with the challenge of continuing to serve hundreds of meals each day—safely, consistently, and in compliance with strict state and federal guidelines—despite limited space, shifting locations, and an entirely altered workflow.

We sat down with Food Service Director Hollie Ackerman to discuss the impact the flood had on her team and shine a light on their hard work and dedication.

Some of their biggest challenges included adjusting breakfast and lunch menus to ensure all children continued to receive meals each day. “The cooking area at OSMS isn't even a quarter of the size of the central kitchen at the high school.”

Main menu items such as sauces, macaroni and cheese, and turkey dinners are typically prepared in large kettles and with four ovens. However, all meals during this time were prepared using just a two-burner stovetop and two ovens—a significant challenge and adjustment for the team.

The central kitchen staff joined forces with the OSMS kitchen staff at the onset. Cook Lynne C. led the team each day, traveling back and forth several times during her shift from the high school to the middle school to fulfill her responsibilities and ensure meals and food items were accounted for at each site. The food courier had to make two stops at each location daily due to the limited space at the middle school. Throughout these challenges, their top priority remained getting students fed.

An additional substitute courier was needed two to three times a week to assist with food deliveries to the buildings and to support Lynne with shipments from outside vendors.

​Labor hours were adjusted, and an afternoon shift was added to distribute bagged meals for students to take home as their second meal.

“Everyday was a reminder of why this work is so important.”

The days were busier than ever. The team served a hot breakfast to the high school while simultaneously preparing hot lunch options for PreK–8 students. During the peak lunch period at the middle school, food was also being transported to other schools, and breakfast-to-go bags were prepped for middle school students to bring home at the end of each day.

“Staff really stepped up. For the most part, they stuck their heels in and got it done. We had staff working full eight-hour days, and our cook put in many extra hours and days to ensure all meals and guidelines were being met.”

Hollie shared that she has “Pure Pride” in her Staff. “They stuck this out like I knew they would.”

“We pride ourselves on feeding the children. That's what our duties are, and that is what we push to do each and every day.”

Hollie would like to share a big thank you with the Oneida community. “I'd just like to say thank you for your patience and support through this trying time for Oneida City Schools—not just from school lunch, but as a community as a whole. We thank you. We are here to nourish your children.”