“Food is a big part of who I am. I love to cook, but when I can cook for others it takes on so much more for me. It is an extension of me. It is a way that I can love others and make them feel welcome and cared for. I recently attended my first Kinship Day. I was absolutely blown away by the volunteers, the vision, the people who I got to meet, to eat with, and to dance with. Everyone was coming together to enjoy each other - each other for who they are. WHAT JOY! WHAT SMILES!”

“Cooking, for me, has always been about more than food. When you cook, you are working on yourself. When you share a meal, you are working on other people. It’s universal and communal.”

“It’s funny how this place that has to do with food has really become like a second home for me.”

“You get to know people over time and just as with a family you share ups and downs, joys and sorrows.”

“As a community, we should take better care of each other.”

“Sharing my love with others reminds me that I’m wanted.”

“I just like to help people understand food. There are things we get in here sometimes that people don’t know what it is, or don’t know how to cook it.”