Benefits:

Competitive salary
Flexible schedule
Free food & snacks
Opportunity for advancement
Paid time off

The Kitchen Staff member assists with the preparation, serving, and cleanup of meals for Tuff Memorial Home residents. This position helps ensure that residents receive safe, nutritious, appealing, and timely meals while maintaining a clean and sanitary kitchen and dining environment.

The Kitchen Staff member is expected to provide friendly, respectful service to residents and work cooperatively with dietary staff and other Tuff Memorial Home employees.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Assist with preparing meals, snacks, beverages, and other food items according to menus and established recipes.
Follow residents' prescribed diets, food preferences, allergies, and special dietary needs as directed.
Assist with meal portioning, plating, serving, and delivery of meals to residents.
Maintain proper food temperatures and follow food safety and sanitation procedures.
Perform routine kitchen cleanup, including washing dishes, sanitizing work surfaces, cleaning equipment, sweeping, mopping, and taking out garbage.
Properly store food and supplies and follow procedures for labeling and dating food items.
Assist with receiving and putting away food and kitchen supplies as needed.
Maintain a clean, organized, and sanitary kitchen, serving areas, dining rooms, and storage areas.
Assist with setting up and cleaning dining areas before and after meals.
Report any concerns regarding food quality, resident diets, sanitation, equipment, or safety to the Dietary Manager.
Use kitchen equipment safely and appropriately.
Follow all infection prevention, food safety, fire safety, and workplace safety procedures.
Provide courteous and respectful service to residents, families, visitors, and coworkers.
Protect resident privacy and confidentiality at all times.
Attend required meetings and training.
Perform other duties as assigned by the Dietary Manager or Administrator.

Tuff Memorial Home is committed to providing residents with a welcoming and respectful dining experience. Kitchen staff are expected to:

Treat every resident with dignity, kindness, and respect.
Be attentive to residents' needs and requests during meal service.
Communicate concerns about a resident's eating, appetite, or dietary needs to the appropriate staff member.
Maintain a positive and professional attitude.
Help make mealtimes enjoyable and comfortable for residents.

Qualifications

Previous kitchen, food service, dietary, or restaurant experience preferred but not required.
Must be able to follow written and verbal instructions.
Must be dependable, punctual, and able to work cooperatively with others.
Must demonstrate good communication and customer-service skills.
Must be able to maintain confidentiality regarding residents and facility information.
Must be willing to follow all Tuff Memorial Home policies and procedures.

Physical Requirements

The employee must be able to perform the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, including:

Standing and walking for extended periods.
Bending, reaching, stooping, and lifting.
Frequently lifting and carrying food, dishes, supplies, and equipment.
Pushing and pulling carts and other kitchen equipment.
Working in a warm, busy kitchen environment.
Performing repetitive hand and arm movements associated with food preparation and dishwashing.

Work Environment

The Kitchen Staff member works primarily in the Tuff Memorial Home kitchen, dining areas, and related food-service areas. The position may require working weekends, holidays, and various shifts depending on the needs of the facility.

Performance Expectations

The employee is expected to:

Report to work on time and be ready to work at the scheduled start time.
Follow the established work schedule.
Maintain appropriate personal hygiene and appearance.
Follow food safety and sanitation requirements.
Work efficiently while maintaining quality and resident safety.
Communicate appropriately with residents, families, and coworkers.
Follow Tuff Memorial Home policies, procedures, and standards.

Compensation: $19.00 per hour

Tuff Memorial Home sits in the small southwestern Minnesota community of Hills, where healthcare is deeply personal and relationships matter. For decades, the organization has served older adults and families across Rock County and nearby communities, building a reputation as a place where residents are known by name and treated with dignity. The organization describes itself as “A Home with a Heart,” and much of its identity centers around compassionate, faith-informed care and a strong sense of community.

For prospective employees, Tuff Memorial Home offers something very different from a large corporate healthcare environment. The facility is nonprofit and community-oriented, with a mission focused on heartfelt quality care rather than volume or profit. The official mission states:

“The Tuff Memorial Home is a Christian Home with a heart. In Christian love, we provide heartfelt quality care to people in a way that contributes to their sense of dignity and self-worth.”

That mission shapes daily life inside the organization. Staff members are expected to care not only for residents’ medical needs, but also for their emotional, spiritual, and social well-being. Employees often become extended family to residents and their loved ones. Public testimonials from families repeatedly describe the staff as compassionate, welcoming, and deeply invested in resident comfort and quality of life.

The facility itself provides skilled nursing services, long-term care, rehabilitation support, and assistance with activities of daily living. Residents receive 24-hour nursing oversight along with services such as medication management, therapy support, housekeeping, dining, activities programming, beauty services, and religious opportunities.

From an employee perspective, the environment appears intentionally structured to feel warm and home-like rather than institutional. Activities, shared meals, celebrations, resident events, and spiritual care are central parts of the culture. Employees in nursing, dietary, housekeeping, activities, maintenance, therapy, administration, and support roles all contribute to creating that atmosphere. Many smaller rural facilities rely heavily on teamwork and cross-department collaboration, and Tuff Memorial Home reflects that style of operation.

Tuff Memorial Home has also earned recognition for the quality of care it provides. In 2025, the facility received a prestigious 5-star overall ranking from Medicare and Medicaid’s CMS Quality Rating System — the highest rating awarded to nursing facilities. This recognition reflects excellence in areas such as staffing, resident care, health inspections, and overall quality outcomes. For prospective employees, this distinction demonstrates the organization’s commitment to high standards, accountability, and compassionate care.

Working at Tuff Memorial Home likely appeals most to people who value:

 Personal relationships with residents and families

 Small-town community culture

 Team-oriented caregiving

 Faith-informed compassion and dignity in elder care

 Long-term resident connections instead of short transactional interactions

 Stability and meaningful work in healthcare

The setting itself is also part of the experience. Hills is a quiet rural community near the South Dakota border, surrounded by prairie farmland and close-knit neighborhoods. Employees who enjoy rural living often appreciate the slower pace, lower stress environment, and strong community ties that come with healthcare work in small towns. Nearby communities like Luverne and Sioux Falls provide additional shopping, healthcare, and recreation opportunities while allowing staff to work in a more personal setting.

For many healthcare workers, especially CNAs, nurses, activities staff, dietary workers, and support personnel, the most meaningful part of working at a place like Tuff Memorial Home is the opportunity to build long-term relationships. In long-term care, employees are not simply treating patients for a few days — they become part of residents’ everyday lives. Staff celebrate birthdays, support families through difficult transitions, and create moments of comfort and joy that matter deeply to residents.

Tuff Memorial Home presents itself as more than a nursing facility. It aims to be a true home environment where compassion, respect, and dignity guide the work. For prospective employees seeking purpose-driven healthcare work in a close-knit rural community, that mission appears to be at the center of everything the organization does

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