She found her passion in hospital food service—meet Dorothy Turner

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From planning healthy and nutritious meals for patients to preparing and serving those dishes, food service workers play an incredibly important role in making sure patients at Children’s of Alabama feel comfortable. Read on to learn how Dorothy Dankwa Turner found her passion to serve others through food service at Children’s.

Dorthy Turner has been at Children’s of Alabama for 15 years

Dorothy Turner started working at Children’s after working another food service job at Arby’s in Tarrant. An employee of the hospital who stopped by every single morning encouraged Dorothy to come work at Children’s and she’s never looked back.

“Before I came here. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. When I got to Children’s, I quickly found out that serving people was my purpose in life. At Children’s, that is exactly what we are here to do.”

Dorothy Dankwa Turner, Dietary Retail Supervisor, Children’s of Alabama

Want to make a difference in children’s lives? Check out available careers at Children’s of Alabama today.

A day in the life of food service

Every employee at Children’s has a unique and busy schedule, so we were eager to hear what a day in the life is like for Dorothy.

“I get here when we open at 6:30AM and we don’t close until 7PM, so I have to make sure that all of us get together and that everything is ready to serve the patients, their families and the employees that come in and out throughout the day.”

Dorothy Dankwa Turner, Dietary Retail Supervisor, Children’s of Alabama

Her main job is to make sure everything is where it needs to be and that when patients and their families come in to eat, she’s there to answer any questions or give them whatever they need.

“Our goal is to make sure that anyone who comes in has a great experience and is taken care of. We prioritize customer service, cleanliness and safety. We have a lot of kids that come through here with different types of illnesses, so we have to constantly make sure we are wiping down everything, wearing gloves, foods are certain temperatures, etc.”

Dorothy Dankwa Turner, Dietary Retail Supervisor, Children’s of Alabama

Serving others is her passion

In addition to going above and beyond to take care of patients and their families, food service workers are also there to fuel the other staff members at Children’s—from doctors to nurses and more.

Working in food service at Children’s has given Dorothy a community and a family that laughs together, cries together and takes care of each other. She couldn’t be more thankful for the people there who have allowed her to find her calling.

“I hope to inspire others by being present for people, when I am needed and called on, no matter what the cost, in a very positive way. I always believe the greatest gift we can give each other as mankind is to be present for one another in a very genuine way.

You have to have a servant attitude in this job, because we are here to serve the kids. We are always hiring at Children’s. It is an amazing place to work. Come join us and you will love it.”

Dorothy Dankwa Turner, Dietary Retail Supervisor, Children’s of Alabama

Want to work at Children’s of Alabama? Follow them on social at Instagram or Facebook or visit their website to apply for a job today.

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