A flight-type dishwasher and a full cart pan washer sanitize equipment used in the preparation and storage of menu items. The Food and Nutrition Services Center includes a 22,500 square foot warehouse that contains the inventory of products needed to prepare school meals. Through annual, monthly, and weekly production planning and menu development, foods are purchased in bulk quantities, stock is rotated to ensure freshness, ordering schedules allow for the receipt of fresh ingredients from vendors on the day they are to be used in production, and food and non-food items that are used frequently are delivered in bulk directly to the schools. The food service warehouse receives, stores, and distributes food and supplies to schools, Montgomery County agencies, non-profit organizations, and school systems in other counties. All finished food products are temporarily stored in product coolers prior to being loaded onto MCPS refrigerated delivery trucks for delivery to schools.
Delivery trucks carry mixed loads of warehouse food items and finished food products.
The Food and Nutrition Services Center contains an administrative management area of 7,500 square feet in which food services management personnel supervise the entire planning, purchasing, preparation, production, delivery and service elements of the MCPS school meals program. The Division of Food and Nutrition Services administers the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program, the Summer Food Service Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the Commodity Distribution Program. Services are provided to senior citizens, day-care centers, and after school programs. In 1995, Montgomery County Public Schools enrolled 117,000 students housed in 179 buildings. Enrollment is expected to increase to 134,000 students by the year 2001.