Nutrition Services employee celebrates 40 years with HISD
For the past 40 years, few, if any, Nutrition Services employees exemplify the heart of the department like Charlotte Blocker. Her positive attitude and friendly demeanor have been a staple on the team for four decades.
“It doesn’t seem like I’ve been here that long,” said Blocker, a senior administrative assistant.
Over the years, Blocker has seen a lot of changes in Nutrition Services, including relocating from the old HISD Administration Building on Richmond Avenue to replacing manual, paper-driven systems with computer-assisted ones.
“I remember when we had to calculate the poundage of the food that was placed on the trucks for delivery,” Blocker said. “We did this to keep the trucks from being overloaded. In fact, the majority of the paperwork was done by hand. Now we have computers that make our jobs a whole lot easier.
“When I started in Food Services, Claude King was the director, and we had one dietitian and six area supervisors,” she added. “After relocating our department to Lyons Avenue in 1978, we purchased a fleet of trucks for school deliveries that were previously handled by Houston Terminal Warehouse, which increased our staff.”
While many of the changes at work have helped increase efficiency, Blocker said another one also improved their safety. The old location sometimes required hopping on stopped trains, since the building was situated between two train tracks.
“When trains were was stalled on both tracks, we were stuck,” she said. “We could either sit for hours in our cars, or take a chance and hop the train in order to get to the building. We were crazy and a bit fearless back in those days, and we really had a lot of fun!”
Blocker also remembers the Lyons Avenue Facility’s test kitchen, where a lot of the food was prepared by hand. “You could gain weight just by smelling the aromas,” she said. “My favorite was the homemade yeast rolls, which were delicious.”
From Richmond Avenue to Lyons Avenue to the Gulf Freeway to the current production facility at Bennington Street, Blocker has remained faithful and dedicated to Nutrition Services.
When asked the secret is to job longevity in HISD, Blocker said, “I’m a firm believer that all employees should be treated with dignity and respect. My daily motto is the Golden Rule –treat others as you would like them to treat you.”
Great job Mrs. Blocker!
Congratulations Charlotte you are truly HISD!!
Congratulations Mrs. Blocker for a job well done. Keep up the good work.
Congratulations Ms. Blocker keep up the good work. The day you retired.I am going to miss you and hearing Good morning “Ruth Torres”
Congratulations Ms. Blocker,
You are a beautiful person inside and out! Job well done.