On a bright August morning, volunteers arrived at Franciscan Kitchen — some as early as 6:30 a.m. — and got busy baking and slicing pizzas, stirring huge pots of boiling noodles and pouring hundreds of glasses of lemonade.
By mid-morning, hungry people stood outside in a line that stretched a block down South Preston Street waiting their turn in the kitchen’s food line.
Thanks to the help of hundreds of volunteers, Franciscan Kitchen, 748 South Preston St., has been feeding the hungry for more than four decades. These days, they serve from 700 to 900 lunches a day.
“This place wouldn’t operate without volunteers,” said Chuck Mattingly, the kitchen’s executive director. “They do 95 percent of the work.”
Mattingly — who started as a volunteer 17 years ago — is one of four paid staff members.
The kitchen operates with a daily team of 20 to 30 volunteers from all walks of life. They arrive as early as 6:30 a.m. to start preparing for the lunch rush, Mattingly said.
After serving lunch, they clean up and leave with smiles on their faces, said Mattingly. Some volunteers also pick up food donations from restaurants and stores around town.
Mattingly calls the kitchen a “miracle on Preston Street” because what happens there every day feels like a miracle to him.
The volunteers become a family, he said, “They stick together.”
The typical volunteer serves at least one day a week and continues “until they can’t do it anymore,” he said.
Now, many are aging and the kitchen needs reinforcements.
The work is “very rewarding. It’s something you can’t put a dollar amount on, but you can feel it,” Mattingly said.
Mary Carol Kelly, a long-time volunteer, agreed.
“I get more out of it than I give,” Kelly said in a recent interview. The people she serves are grateful she said. “We’re always thanked profusely.”
Kelly, a member of Holy Trinity Church, has been volunteering at the kitchen for 10 years.
“I absolutely love it,” she said.
Her uncle, Bud Bouchard, volunteered as a cook for 17 years. Bouchard, who died recently, encouraged her to volunteer, she said.
Once she did, “I was pretty much hooked,” she said. Kelly serves one day a week chopping up fruits and vegetables, preparing the steam table for serving and cleaning up the kitchen, she said.
Outside the work she does in the kitchen, Kelly also serves as vice president of the board of directors.
She wants others to know that serving as a volunteer at Franciscan Kitchen is a rewarding experience.
“You’re serving a real need. You’re serving the most marginalized. You’re face to face with the person,” she said.Individuals interested in volunteering at the kitchen are encouraged to come in and try it for a day or take a tour, Mattingly said. Those who are ready to start volunteering can sign up by visiting franciscankitchen.org/contact-us.
