By JAMES BROWN
Glasgow News 1
The ribbon was cut on a new type of break room at the Barren County Detention Center on Wednesday morning.
Aramark Correctional Services, which is the food vendor for the jail, offered an in-house vending operation for employees of the jail at no cost to the county, jailer Aaron Shirley explained Wednesday morning.
“It’s no cost to the county. It’s no cost to the jail itself,” Shirley said.
He said the vending service allows jail staff to buy drinks and food without having to order in.
“Our staff works 12 hour shifts, so once they come in they can’t leave and go get something,” Shirley explained. “We put this store in so if they get hungry, especially night shift, they can scan [the product] and pay.”
He said some employees bring food from home, but if they just want a snack or they don’t bring their own food, they have to order it to be delivered to the jail.
Shirley added the machine installed by Aramak does not charge a card service fee.
Barren County jailer Aaron Shirley, second from left, looks on as Jackie Lashley with Aramark cuts the ribbon on the Micro Market inside the Barren County Detention Center. The market is for jail employee use. James Brown/Glasgow News 1
Jackie Lashley, who is a general manager with Aramark, said this is a program that they have used in other jail facilities.
“We use this as a way for them to have snacks and we have quick meals they can pick up,” she said.
Lashley added that they try to be competitive with the product prices, and they do that by researching to costs of similar items in the wider market near the jail.
“Any facility that has the space, and this is a great space, we bring the idea to the table,” she said. They also try to provide items that are market specific and highly requested.
For the Barren County Detention Center, one specialty item is Grippo’s brand chips. The company was founded in Cincinnati and the brand has grown in popularity throughout Kentucky.
“Maybe they will be a top seller here,” Lashley said. “What we will do in a couple of months is we will adjust to what is selling and what is not. We tailor it to the facility.”
Shirley said the Micro Market was a great opportunity to offer something unique to the jail employees.
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