Like all communities, Channelview, Texas, has residents who have hit on hard times, and have trouble making ends meet. These unfortunate folks are more fortunate than many in other areas. They have a place to go for a hot lunch Monday through Friday.
The place is known as Mary’s Kitchen, and for the past 20 years, a small group of volunteers have been doing a monumental job in serving their community. Work begins long before the 11 a.m. serving time at the soup kitchen. About half a dozen volunteers assemble at 7 a.m. in the modest kitchen area to have breakfast and begin preparations for lunch. What started out as a simple soup kitchen at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church under the direction of church member Mary Whiteside, grew into an independent, non-profit charitable organization that now serves hot lunches to the general public, 90 percent of whom are not Catholic according to the church rector, Rev. Christopher Shakelford, "It’s amazing what they do here," he said. Louis Zuniga, the vice president of Mary’s Kitchen, is thankful for the support that St. Andrews has given them in the past two decades, but said, "We rent the space in the parish hall from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. weekdays. We pay our own utilities, buy what food is not donated by outside businesses, and otherwise are responsible for the operation here. We are an independent organization."
That is why a recent donation of $5,000 from LyondellBasell meant so much to Zuniga, and the other board members of Mary’s Kitchen. "Our bank account was down to about $600, and we were facing the unpleasant choice of possibly having to close down a few days every week to keep going," Zuniga said.
On a normal day, Mary’s Kitchen will serve about 100 people. "That number doubles in the summer when school is out," Zuniga said. "Our lunch is open to everyone. There is no charge; we don’t even ask them for a donation. All we ask of those who come here for lunch is that they behave themselves, and we seldom have a problem," he added.
"With the LyondellBasell donation, we can continue our service to the needy in this area and increase the quality of meals with more fresh meats and vegetables,"
Mary's Kitchen also can count on LyondellBasell's Channelview employees to be part of the volunteers that help serve and clean up after lunch. More than a dozen volunteers sign up in the average month to take an hour out of their day to come help at the kitchen. Some employees sign up for several days, and one employee was so impressed with the program that he now serves on their board of directors as treasurer. Lucas Hilbrich is a technology superintendent when he is at the Channelview complex, but he’s part of the serving line and clean-up crew when he’s at Mary’s Kitchen. "It helps put things in your life in perspective," he said of his time serving others less fortunate. "There was no question when they asked me to be a board member."
"We want to serve as many people as possible, and make the community aware of this great resource and place of hope," said Public Relations Manager Aaron Woods.