SUMMARY: To assist in preparing, portioning and serving all meals to students in an efficient and pleasant manner.
This position is open for internal bidding for three days and will be external EOD Thursday August 20th, 2026.
Position Title: Food Service Helper
Department: District Operations
Reports To: Lead Cook and/or Food Service Supervisor
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
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Receives, prepares, and serves menu items in the kitchen.
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Orders and receives all food and supplies.
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Records the number of servings and reports spoilage, etc.
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Assists with daily cleaning of all kitchen equipment to ensure sanitary conditions are met.
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Counts money and makes change.
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Operates all food service equipment in area of assignment.
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Maintains accurate production records conforming to federal/state/department guidelines.
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Trains substitute helpers when assigned to his/her location.
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Maintains regular and reliable attendance.
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Follows all District policies.
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In the event of a Lead Cook absence, the Food Service Helper will step up and fill the role and responsibility of the Lead Cook, while subbing out their own position. This is due to respective site knowledge, safety and experience.
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Reviews email communication regularly and responds as needed.
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Performs other duties as assigned.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: None.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:
High school diploma or general education degree (GED) is required; with one year of child nutrition experience and previous experience with quantity food preparation and service preferred. Mandatory completion of the State of Michigan Department of Education School Food Service Statewide Training Program classes: Sanitation and Safety, Food Service Basics, and Communications.
LANGUAGE SKILLS:
Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence and memos. Ability to write simple correspondence. Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, clients, managers, and other employees of the organization.
MATHEMATICAL SKILLS:
Ability to add and subtract two-digit numbers and to multiply and divide with 10's and 100's. Ability to perform these operations using units of American money, weight measurement, volume and distance.
REASONING ABILITY:
Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but basic written or oral instructions. Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations.
OTHER SKILLS and ABILITIES:
Ability to work in a friendly manner with coworkers and students. Ability to plan own work schedule and to direct assistants. General knowledge of the best methods of preparing foods in large quantities. Ability to adjust recipes to the quantity required. Ability to perform the job and communicate in a noisy environment. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with students, staff and the community. Ability to perform duties with awareness of all district requirements and Board of Education policies.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to walk and continuously required to stand. The employee will frequently bend or twist at the neck and trunk while performing the duties of this job. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee continuously uses hand strength to grasp tools.
The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds such as milk crates, frozen foods, canned food, etc. Specific vision abilities required by this job include: close vision, depth perception, peripheral vision and color vision.
WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee occasionally works in temperatures above 100° and occasionally will walk on slippery surfaces. The employee must be able to meet deadlines with severe time constraints and interact with the public and other workers. The employee has direct responsibility for the safety, well-being and work output of others. The noise level in the work environment is frequently loud to where you have to raise your voice to be heard. The employee has a greater than average risk of getting a minor injury such as a cut or a burn while performing the duties of this job.
The employee shall remain free of any alcohol or non-prescription controlled substance use and/or abuse in the workplace throughout his/her employment in the District.
The information contained in this job description is for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (A.D.A.) and is not an exhaustive list of the duties performed for this position. Additional duties are performed by the individuals currently holding this position and additional duties may be assigned.
