Feb 26, 2026
Jeanelle Jones and family. PHOTO COURTESY JEANELLE JONES
As the sun went down in Kern County on a recent Wednesday night, Jeanelle could be found carrying items to her car after leading a Charlie Cart program session at Beale Memorial Library.
She had taught an afternoon class in the evening, over the dinner hour, after a day’s work as supervisor of Catering Services and Special Projects for Kern County Superintendent of Schools (KCSOS).
Food & Nutrition Services, a department within the KCSOS Division of Operational Support, includes its central kitchen, where Jeanelle works with the professionals who prepare between 3,000 and 6,000 meals each day for local students.
“At our house, all meals are completely unplugged, no phones allowed at the table,” said Jeanelle, who has also shared her skills at home. “My son is 15, but he’s been cooking since age 9, and he wants to be a chef. Now, he cooks for us every Sunday night. He’ll go through a recipe and ask to go shopping for missing ingredients.”
Although she had previously cooked in restaurants, Jeanelle shifted to working with the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District. She then applied for a job at KCSOS but didn’t get the position. In 2024, she helped a Stockdale High School team participate in Kern County Fair’s Chopped Challenge, a Blue Zones Project student cooking competition. When Stockdale won with a Chipotle salad featuring jackfruit, soy chorizo and purple sweet potatoes, Senior Director Rafael Juarez offered her the supervisor role.
Jeanelle Jones demonstrating at The Charlie Cart Project event. PHOTO COURTESY BIANKA PANTOJA
More than 117,000 people in Kern County don't always have enough to eat, with an average of one out of every five children going to bed hungry, according to Kern Public Health.
The programs Jeanelle helps make possible, in addition to other KCSOS and nonprofit initiatives, aim to bridge the food distribution gap.
- KCSOS provides food for Supper and Snacks in the Stacks, a free program available at most Kern County branch libraries for ages 2-18, from 3 to 6 p.m. Find participating locations, schedules and menus at https://kerncountylibrary.org/snacks-in-the-stacks/.
- A collaboration between KCSOS, Blue Zones Project Bakersfield and Charlie Cart recently finished its first six-week program offered at the Kern County Library’s Beale Memorial location. Charlie Cart features a mobile kitchen, which fosters a hands-on experience plus healthy eating information, partially framed through storytelling. Produce is sourced locally and a free meal is served from what’s prepared. The program is currently seeking sponsors to be able to be hosted again in Kern County. Find more information at https://charliecart.org/.
- KCSOS has also worked with Blue Zones Project Bakersfield to facilitate cooking demonstrations at high schools and junior high schools.
- Partnerships with area food banks allow prepared food that goes unused during the school day to be kept safe according to established procedures and redistributed.
Find more information about KCSOS’s programs and outreach at https://kern.org/food-nutrition-services/
Three questions with answers from Jeanelle Jones:
Q. What should our readers know more about KCSOS and Kern County Library offerings?
All Suppers and Snacks in the Stacks meals are free. When you don't know what to do for food, most Kern County libraries do offer a snack or a meal.
Q. What advice do you have for women going through difficult times, particularly food insecurity
Don’t give up. There are resources to help you. Cooking is so worthwhile, especially if your kids can help. You don’t have to make a five-star meal; it can be a $5 meal, and there are people who will gladly show you how here in Kern County or on YouTube.
Q. What is your parenting PSA?
No matter how old your child is, spend time with them so they’ll know you will be there no matter what. Don’t neglect family game nights or just five minutes to sit down without your phone in your hand to have a conversation.
Fill-in-the-blank questions:
- Favorite local restaurant: Pizz-A Perfection; it’s Indian/Italian fusion cuisine [8500 Harris Road, Suite H]
- Hidden talents: Photography, art, and making wedding cakes
- One ingredient you'll always find in my pantry: Garlic. Powdered, minced, whole cloves — you can never go wrong. Garlic enhances any dish.
- Best book you've read lately: "Illusions" by Richard Bach, with its quote, "The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's lives."
- Favorite musical group: The Moody Blues
- Best advice: Never judge a book by its cover; you never know what someone is going through
About Jeanelle:
- A graduate of Ridgeview High School, Jeanelle moved to Oregon, where she graduated from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. After a divorce, she returned to Bakersfield with her son to be near family.
- Through a mutual friend, Jeanelle met her husband, Kyle, and they married in 2020. The family enjoys time together around the table.
