Kenison named Wyoming Food Service Director of the Year

"I love feeding people," Leah Kenison said.

This love was recently recognized by all of Wyoming when Kenison was chosen as Food Service Director of the Year during the 31st annual Wyoming School Nutrition Association Annual Conference in Casper June 28.

"It's a tremendous honor," Kenison said.

Kenison was selected out of up to 48 other candidates, since each school district in Wyoming can nominate their director. Representing Green River out of the whole state is "amazing," according to Kenison, especially considering directors from much larger cities like Cheyenne and Casper could have been chosen.

"It's basically just saying that I've done my job and I've done it well," she said of the award.

Kenison has been doing her job for nearly nine years working in various positions in food service for Sweetwater County School District No. 2.

Kenison graduated from Green River in 1990. While she lived in both Rock Springs and Douglas for a time, she kept coming back to Green River, eventually getting a job in food service for the school district, then becoming the kitchen manager at Harrison Elementary, then the administrative assistant to the food service director, then assistant director before taking over as director.

As food service director for the district, Kenison is in charge of the kitchens at all the schools in Green River. She oversees budgets, menus, staffing, purchasing equipment, managing the application and eligibility process for free and reduced meals, and making sure all the food is compliant with USDA regulations.

"I have to follow numerous federal guidelines," Kenison explained.

Kenison is especially grateful for her staff members who help her manage the department and all its responsibilities.

The past few years have had unique challenges for Kenison and her staff due to the COVID-19 pandemic, although in some ways the earlier days of the pandemic were easier than current problems connected to it.

Initially, getting food for students during the pandemic wasn't a problem, since other places weren't serving food at all.

"Most of the country closed. Wyoming was one of the only states that continued to feed kids the entire time," Kenison explained. "Even though we were closed down, we still fed kids."

Green River was also the first local district to roll out to-go meals for kids during the pandemic, according to Kenison.

Recently, however, getting food has become more challenging since supply-chain issues have made access to certain foods difficult, and rising costs due to inflation have added further complications.

Going into next year, the district will also have to limit and change the free meal program, Kenison said. Still, reduced prices on meals will be an option, and Kenison hopes every family in the district will apply to see if they're eligible for assistance.

"It's gonna be a tough year, I think, but we'll get through it," Kenison said. "We'll come out stronger than ever."

Whenever she's having a tough time in the office or dealing with the challenges and responsibilities of her role, Kenison likes to go to the kitchens in the schools and see the kids to be cheered up by their cute faces and to remind her why she does what she does.

"In order for kids to be able to learn, they have to have a full belly," Kenison said. "If they don't have a full belly, then all they can focus on is how hungry they are. So with proper nutrition, we see test scores raise, we see teachers have less behavior issues in the classroom, so it's really important to keep those kids fed. I mean, basically, we're nourishing our next generation of adults."