Meet Soup Kitchen Manager Cathy Moore
Part-time Soup Kitchen Manager Cathy Moore.
Three years ago, Cathy Moore was doing her regular Loaves and Fishes delivery to Project Host and noticed that the Soup Kitchen was short staffed. She asked then-Soup Kitchen Manager Christy Warren if she needed help and jumped right in on the line. Little did Cathy know then that she would wind up acting as Soup Kitchen Manager when Christy left the position in fall 2020.
Prior to joining Project Host, Cathy worked a 30-year career at Ford Motor Credit Company. That job is what brought her to Greenville and gave her some of the organizational skills that come in handy in her role at Project Host today. But Cathy’s interest in volunteering and passion for food-based organizations runs much deeper than her time at Ford.
As a child, Cathy observed as her mother volunteered for Meals on Wheels. She also grew up in an Italian-Polish family, where many activities centered around food, so volunteering and working at a place like Project Host was a natural fit: “What speaks to me the most is making sure that people are fed. I like serving the people, offering a warm smile and a warm meal.”
In the year she’s been at Project Host, Cathy has accomplished quite a bit. She’s gotten over her initial anxiety about cooking for 100+ people and now whips up the crowd-pleasing dish beanie-weenies (hotdogs and baked beans) or simple comfort food like turkey and rice with ease.
She’s also gone to great lengths, together with her counterpart Anne Gill, who manages the Soup Kitchen Wednesday-Friday, to organize the kitchen and pantries.
“Aside from feeding the people, our biggest accomplishment is getting things organized in the Soup Kitchen. It makes it easier when you come in and know where everything is. We don’t waste any of the food that gets donated to us. We pivot a lot—you plan a meal and then something gets donated and it’s like, ‘Ok, we gotta use this before it spoils.’ That’s so much easier to do when you’re organized.”
Cathy and Anne have been able to do so much because of their strong relationship. Cathy describes them as “Lucy and Ethel” with a chuckle.
“We work really well together because we have different personalities and play off of each other’s strengths. We remind each other why we are here and what we are doing. We talk on the phone every day after work to report out on what’s going on.”
Currently, Cathy and Anne are coming up with a game plan for renovations planned in the Soup Kitchen in early 2022. Cathy feels a mix of anxiety and excitement about the changes ahead.
“I’m a little nervous about the renovation—how we’re going to prepare the food and serve it, but we will figure it out with the support of everybody here. I’m just excited about having all new stuff and keeping it clean and functional.”
She also looks forward to seeing the dining hall renovated in the coming years. “The dining room renovations are going to be exciting. It’s a comfortable space for our guests right now in that it’s warm in the winter and cool in the summer, but having some different lighting and table setup is going to make it feel more homey and inviting.”
Cathy’s and Anne’s continued dedication and organization is going to be crucial to pulling off the major renovations that Project Host has planned. Lucky for us, Cathy doesn’t seem to be going anywhere else any time soon.
“It’s obviously very rewarding to come here. I love it. I love telling people it’s where I work. Not because I want to tell people about what I do for the community, but because I get to share that Project Host exists. It’s about sharing the fact that we’re here and provide this service to the people.”
By Claudia Winkler