The administration at the Carbon County Correctional Facility recognized two of its own recently.

On Thursday, Warden Joseph Gross and the administrative staff at the prison thanked Rita J. Serina of Jim Thorpe, and Nancy J. Banditelli of Tamaqua for their years of dedication to the prison.Serina and Banditelli were employed by Carbon County as kitchen staff in the prison until Aug. 4, when an outside company, Trinity Food Services of Oldsmar, Fla., took over operations of the kitchen. Both Serina and Banditelli were hired by Trinity to continue preparing the meals.Serina, who served the county for 33 years before retiring on Aug. 4, said she was very flattered by the recognition.Banditelli, who was employed by the county for a total of 12 years, echoed Serina's thoughts, saying she didn't expect this at all.Gross thanked the pair for everything they have done over the years."It was unfortunate we had to outsource the kitchen," Gross said. "We were happy with the food they (Serina, Banditelli and the kitchen staff) provided. We're glad they are still on staff and we appreciate their years of service."Following the brief presentation, Serina and Banditelli; as well as the staff in attendance, were treated to a light lunch.