April 15th, 2022 by WCBC Radio

The Martinsburg VA Medical Center Nutrition and Food Service (NFS) rose to every challenge faced during the COVID-19 pandemic to prepare and serve over 575 meals daily to its inpatient Veterans.

In order to provide a fresher, more restaurant-style experience to inpatient Veterans, NFS began making 80 percent of their meals completely from scratch in 2019, called cook to order. At the onset of the pandemic over two years ago, NFS recognized the need to increase disposable food serving products due to infection control protocols.

However, their supply chain for everyday ingredients and supplies became strained, and some companies they used routinely stopped making some items or were consistently out of stock.

 

Thinking creatively, NFS started looking to its community for businesses that could accommodate the needs of the medical center. “For example, we increased our purchasing from a local baker,” said Annemarie Price, Chief of Nutrition and Food Service, “We also used local farmers to provide fresh fruits and vegetables.”

 

“We have a mission to accomplish,” said William Breakall, Supervisory Food Service Worker and Retired U.S. Navy Veteran. “We are fortunate to have a great team that always goes the extra mile for our Veterans. It can still be a challenge today, but like we said in the U.S. Navy, ‘I am an old salt.’”

 

The Martinsburg VAMC thanks its committed NFS staff as well as its dedicated community for its support throughout the pandemic and beyond.