Serving over 400,000 meals to the community since the start of the pandemic, Diamond Bar High School’s Nutrition Service Supervisor Yenny Ong received recognition for her efforts both on and off-campus last month. 

Ong’s hard work was recognized by her director, Emmalyn Coles, and she was presented with the District Cornerstone Award early November. Nominated due to her performance of exemplary leadership, Ong’s organization of meal plans and overseeing of food distribution to those in need impacted the lives of thousands during times of adversity. 

“It was a wonderful surprise when I received the notification from the District, I wasn’t expecting it at all,” Ong said via email. “It put me to tears! It means a lot to be rewarded for something that you love and have passion to do.”

Ong began her career as a dietary technician at a hospital at San Gabriel Valley. In 2010, she was employed by the Walnut Valley School District, where she worked in both elementary and middle schools for three years each as an assistant supervisor before coming to DBHS. 

“I first came to DBHS about 4 years ago as the assistant supervisor, then applied for and was selected as the Nutrition Services Supervisor 18 months later,” Ong said. 

Now marking her fourth year anniversary at DBHS and tenth for the district, Ong tackles a multitude of responsibilities. She begins her day by surveying meal preparations, which are then distributed to the high school as well as four other elementary schools. During the other hours, Ong is usually tasked with maintaining records of daily productions and reporting inventory levels.

“My day starts at 5:30 a.m.,” Ong said. “When I come in, I must make sure that all equipment is working and divide tasks among all the staff. During this pandemic, our morning team usually cooks and prepares the food, and our afternoon team usually bags the meals for the families.” 

Preparing an average of 2600 meals per day–not including those served to elementary students–Ong says she misses seeing the smiles on students’ faces and interacting with staff members the most. Instead, she now greets students through the car window in drive-bys and works alongside her staff at a distance.

“Despite the uncertainties during the start of the pandemic, our team was able to provide thousands of meals to our community, ensuring that people would still be able to gain access to meals, even if the school had to be closed,” Ong said.

As the first semester comes to an end, Ong aspires to maintain the quality of service and meals provided to those in need, and looks forward to seeing students back on campus again. 

“My team works diligently every day,” Ong said. “We have been going through this journey together since March and it brings us closer than before. We have become a family and have had a chance to show our community the quality of the food that we serve to our students and staff, and have received positive feedback from the community.”