5 May 2008
Celebration Honors "Little Mexico" Community Leader and Entrepreneur
DALLAS–Dallas Independent School District officials were joined by community leaders, parents, students and elected officials Saturday, May 3, for the dedication ceremony of Maria Luna Food Service Facility, 1515 Grand Avenue.
The Maria Luna Food Service Facility is the new home of the districts Food and Child Nutrition Services Department. The 153,575-square-foot building services 215 Dallas ISD sites and is centrally located within the district to best serve all schools and facilities. The facility is named for Maria Luna, founder of Luna's Tortilla Factory near downtown Dallas. A Mexican immigrant, Luna was the only female charter member of the Mexican Chamber of Commerce, now known as the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. A community leader in Little Mexico, Dallas' earliest Hispanic neighborhood, Luna proved what can be accomplished with hard work, perseverance and determination.
The student group Mariachi de Jaguares from Moises Molina High School and the A. Maceo Smith High School JROTC Color Guard participated in the dedication ceremonies. Executive Director of Food and Child Nutrition Services Dora Rivas opened the dedication and Dallas ISD Chief Operating Officer Eric Anderson thanked the voters of Dallas for making the new facility possible. Dallas ISD District 9 Trustee Ron Price praised the accomplishments of the woman for whom the facility is named, and hailed the Maria Luna Food Service Facility as an example of Dallas ISD's commitment to offer Dallas students the best in education and nutrition. Representing the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Angela Olige joined in the celebration. Food and Nutrition Services Director David Brown shared historical facts about the department, which has received several national awards for efficiency and quality.
The new Maria Luna Food Service Facility prepares more than 167,000 meals and includes a central food service warehouse and commissary, a bakery, a packaging area, and a 189-seat auditorium. Several remote satellite kitchens that previously served the district have been combined and are now located in the new building. In addition to having expanded food service, the facility also will serve as a premier training center.
A professional development manager will coordinate training topics such as food safety, quality food production, customer service, work simplification and nutrition. Staff also will present nutrition education activities for students and parents and provide opportunities for students to give input on school lunch menus, and explore careers in the food service industry.
The Maria Luna Food Service Facility also will provide food for students during the summer at parks, recreation centers, churches and other activity centers throughout the city. Each summer the Dallas ISD serves more than 12,000 meals to children across our city
The district's 2002 bond program funded 20 new schools, more than 33 major additions and renovations to nearly every campus. To date, 19 new schools and 137 of 148 planned renovations have been come been completed. Fifteen hundred forty-seven new classrooms have been added across the district with the capacity to serve more than 30,000 students.
During the fall of 2008, dedication ceremonies will be held for Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and Francisco "Pancho" Medrano Middle School.