Deming Public Schools Director of Nutrition Wins Regional Award

The national, non-profit School Nutrition Association (SNA) has named Ginger Jones, director of school nutrition for Deming Public Schools, NM, the West regional Director of the Year. The award recognizes the extraordinary contributions of school nutrition directors who manage effective school meal programs providing healthy, appetizing meals to students. While the nomination process began before widespread COVID-19 school closures, SNA also recognizes the expansive efforts of school nutrition directors to manage current emergency feeding programs, ensuring needy students continue to access healthy meals.

Over 20 years working in a district with a diverse population, Jones has made a positive impact, increasing daily meal participation from 5,000 to 17,000. Networking with district leaders has been essential to her success in increasing district participation. Over her career, Jones has implemented Breakfast After the Bell, Summer feeding and After School Snacks. She also initiated New Mexico Grown Fresh Fruit, Vegetable and the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable programs. She started a Roadrunner Food Bank backpack program as well as district food pantries. Most recently, she has implemented mobile food trucks for summer feeding meal service.

As part of New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s Child Hunger Initiative “Preventing Child Hunger in NM,” Jones hopes to increase the use of mobile food trucks to expand Summer Feeding sites. Other efforts to narrow the gap of food insecurity in the area include utilizing leftover shelf stable food for the Backpack Program for weekend feeding, providing leftover hot meals during holiday breaks, and also offering a Supper Program.

Jones promotes and celebrate the work of her team through a monthly district newsletter, and department website, Facebook page and Twitter account, which keep the district, community and parents informed. She advocates for child nutrition and health throughout the community, helping to host a dental service event for children, attending community organization meetings and serving on numerous community committees. She chairs the district Wellness Policy Committee “SHAC” and collaborates with the community and district with the free utilization of Student Nutrition kitchens for fundraisers.

Jones recognizes education and training are important to the success of her team. She provides 66 school nutrition employees with monthly training on everything from technical skills to work-time management. She uses various forms of technology to ensure her team is knowledgeable in federal, state and district regulations, policies and procedures. As many of her employees are Spanish-speaking, she provides translation services at all trainings to guarantee all employees have an equal opportunity to learn. Therefore, she ensures compliance is met in all areas.

In her 15 years as an SNA member, Jones has served at several different levels within SNA. She supports state and national legislation in Washington D.C. and hosts food shows, trainings and meetings at her district for New Mexico SNA. Jones coordinates district membership for employees to utilize SNA resources, encouraging them to attend conferences, trainings, meetings and participate in SNA’s commitment to child nutrition advocacy. She encourages her team to think outside of the box understanding the importance of good nutrition and the effect it has on academic performance.

“Ginger Jones works to ensure that students, staff and the community have a positive school nutrition experience,” said SNA President Gay Anderson, SNS. “She exemplifies the impact that dedicated directors can have in their student’s lives and communities.”

The regional Director of the Year Award was created to recognize school nutrition directors who exhibit an extraordinary commitment to their school meal programs. The directors are responsible for maintaining the quality of the program through student interaction, menu planning and a commitment to serving nutritious, tasty and well-balanced school meals. Through effective oversight of all aspects of foodservice operations, including budgeting, staffing, training, marketing and community outreach, school nutrition directors ensure the overall success of school meal programs.

About School Nutrition Association:

The School Nutrition Association (SNA) is a national, non-profit professional organization representing more than 55,000 school nutrition professionals across the country. Founded in 1946, SNA and its members are dedicated to making healthy school meals and nutrition education available to all students. For more information on school meals, visit www.SchoolNutrition.org/SchoolMeals.