Mary Ann Anderson is a regular face at Project Host, frequently running the drink station during service and doing whatever is needed of her otherwise. Originally from Georgia, Mary Ann moved to Greenville in 2013 and spends a lot of time “piddling” in her yard and spending time with her 15 grandchildren. She started volunteering at Project Host before the COVID lockdown and is delighted to be back.
Read MoreJill Mashburn has been serving Project Host as a volunteer and board member for 10 years. Jill is a Sunday day captain and covers Christmas service every year to offer her Gift of Warmth to our guests. She can also be seen at virtually at all Project Host events and advocating for us in the wider community. Learn about how Jill came to love Project Host and why she dedicates so much time to our organization.
Read MoreEdward (Ed) Dolik worked in the theater for about 40 years and retired slightly early at 60 with the permission of his CFO (aka his wife, Anne). The only condition was that Ed needed to find something to do with his time. He naturally gravitated toward cooking, and ended up earning his culinary degree and volunteering to cook monthly dinners at a church for those in need. Upon moving to Greenville, Ed found his way to Project Host.
Read MoreWe’re shining the spotlight on someone who keeps the heart of Project Host beating every single day — our incredible Soup Kitchen Manager, Cathy. What started as a simple offer to help during a volunteer shift quickly grew into a calling. From planning menus and coordinating volunteers to connecting with guests in the dining room, Cathy brings care, compassion, and consistency to everything she does. Her story is a powerful reminder that food is only part of the nourishment we offer — it’s also about dignity, connection, and second chances. We hope you enjoy getting to know the woman behind so many of our meals.
Read MorePrograms Director Michelle Liggett is interviewed about Project Host’s partnership with Meals on Wheels to deliver Cooking for Kids meals to partner sites.
Read MoreAn oft-repeated sentiment in the Project Host Soup Kitchen is that working here is a reminder of how quickly someone can end up on the “other side” of the counter, as the person in need of a meal, rather than the person serving it. One Soup Kitchen guest in particular who illustrates how quickly and unexpectedly someone can lose control of their circumstances and end up homeless and in need of social services is John McCroan. And, at the same time, he is a poster child for how a network of agencies can help someone get back on their feet.
Read MoreMark and Karen Vollrath have been volunteering for several years with our Soup Kitchen, and we are extremely grateful for their hard work and dedication. They volunteer consistently each week and jump in wherever they are needed. Project Host wanted to know what it is about volunteering in our Soup Kitchen that keeps them coming back week after week.
Read MoreAyona Frazier graduated a couple of years ago and had her mind set on being a psychologist. Then, COVID hit and the lockdowns began. Going to college didn’t seem quite as appealing in that environment. That’s when she took up cooking.
Read MoreValerie and Cassidy Richardson are a mother-and-daughter team from Travelers Rest who wanted to volunteer over the summer and signed up at Project Host. They consistently volunteered each week, typically on Monday or Tuesday, but often whenever they saw a need, and they continue to do so now, into the fall. Project Host wanted to know what it was about volunteering in our Soup Kitchen that kept this pair coming back week after week.
Read MoreClaudia Winkler, Project Host Director of Development, is a poster child for a recent wave of people who packed up and moved across the country seeking new jobs and lives during the 2020 COVID lockdowns. Read about why Claudia chose to leave Georgetown University for Project Host and what she hopes to accomplish in her role.
Read MoreHaley Hopkins served as the 2021 Farm to Table Community Summer Intern at Furman University’s Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities.
Read MoreImagine approaching 40, being married with two kids and having all of the financial and other responsibilities associated with that, and then deciding that you were going to start basically from scratch, go back to school, and pursue a totally different career path. Sounds a little daunting, right? Well, it’s exactly what Project Host’s new Teaching Chef Cary Jacquette decided to do roughly 10 years ago, when he enrolled in the Greenville Technical College’s Culinary Institute of the Carolinas.
Read MoreLife sometimes has a funny way of taking you in directions you wouldn’t have necessarily gone on your own. Sally Green probably didn’t picture herself running a soup kitchen, much less turning that meal program into a multipronged, established Greenville-area nonprofit. But her teaching background and her family passion for food and entertaining combined with unforeseen life circumstances all came together in a way that did exactly that.
Read MoreKathy Sakraida moved to Greenville two years ago and almost immediately began volunteering at Project Host every Wednesday. She also serves as the treasurer of the Rotary Club of Greenville City Center and recently helped Project Host receive a $1,000 grant toward the Soup Kitchen revitalization efforts. We sat down with Kathy to learn a little more about how she learned about Project Host and what has kept her faithfully coming back every week for the past two years.
Read Moreroject Host today announced that it will be re-opening its facilities for full in-person dining on July 4, 2021.
Read MoreTaryn Copeland has been a dedicated volunteer at Project Host for three years. She’s been such a steadfast presence, in fact, that she was recognized as a Molina Healthcare Community Champion in 2018 for her work at Project Host. She comes three days a week to help wherever she can in the Soup Kitchen, and her easy-going nature brings a calming presence to guests and volunteers alike.
Read MoreDebra Wray’s story could be told in a great redemptive arc of an exceptional woman beating terrible odds and clawing her way out of a cycle of addiction and abuse to a position of sobriety, stability, and success. But Debra wouldn’t want her story told that way. On the contrary, she’d want you to understand the ordinariness of it all.
Read MoreProject Host is the recipient of a $50,000 Greenville Women Giving grant that will be used to renovate its 25-year-old soup kitchen. The award is one of 11 grants issued this year by Greenville Women Giving for a total of $550,000 awarded to Greenville area non-profits.
Read MoreCEO Tobin Simpson talks about Project Host’s work through the pandemic and for the past 40 years.
Read MoreSusie Porter began her involvement with Project Host about a year and a half ago, volunteering in the Soup Kitchen and the garden. When she heard the garden was back open after a COVID hiatus, she signed up to volunteer again and has been a regular presence ever since.
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