Dietary Services

Mission:

To prepare and serve the highest quality meals: meeting or exceeding the Veterans Home high quality standards on food presentation, taste, and meeting the residents' nutritional needs. All foods will be prepared following sanitation and safety standards according to state and federal regulations.

At NHVH we prepare 600 meals a day, 365 days a year. In a typical year we serve 3,800 pounds of roast beef, 2,400 pounds of seafood, and 3,500 pounds of chicken. We serve over 45,000 cups of ice cream, we toast over 8,000 loaves of bread, we brew gallons of coffee all day long, pour hundreds of glasses of milk each day, and serve over $40,000 worth of fresh produce each year.

Dietary Programs

Nutritionally balanced menus: Dietary Services offers a large variety of foods for our residents. We have four three-week menu cycles that change with the seasons. During the year we have special theme meals and functions to add even more variety. The dietary staff is proud to say that 90% of the foods we serve here are made here.

A resident enjoys special annual lobster meal

Alternate meal program: A selection of alternate foods from meats to vegetables is available for all residents. Residents can ask the staff for the alternate for the next day and choose what parts of the meal they want. Menus are available upon request.

Hospitality Cart: A special service that can be requested when family and friends are visiting their sick loved one. Items are prepared with extra attention to comfort the family in a time of need.

Food Committee: This committee includes residents and staff, and is a vehicle to share food-related thoughts, concerns, and ideas for making what we do here even better.

Kitchen tours: Residents are invited to see what goes on behind the kitchen doors. If a resident wishes to see the kitchen, they can arrange a tour with one of the dietary management staff to see the storerooms, coolers, and food-preparation areas.

Open door policy: The dietary team strongly believes that we are here for the residents. If you have any questions or concerns, our door is always open for you.