Welcome Chris Goodyear, Queens Galley guest blogger!

************************************************************************************* Ever since I was a little child, I have always been interested in food. Because of this fact, I decided that when I grew up, if this ever happens, I was going to make sure that I worked in a kitchen, or with food people my entire life, doing what I love to do. That is why I decided to go to a Culinary School.

As part of my training for culinary school, I decided to volunteer at The Queens Galley, in Kingston, NY. The Queens Galley is a not –for- profit soup kitchen that supplies food to anyone that walks in the door. The food that they serve is either donated to them by local businesses, or it is bought with the money that is provided by the state.

It was very easy to start working there as a volunteer, as all I really had to do was go in and inform Diane Reeder that I would love to help out, and as I filled out the form giving them all of the information that they could possibly ask for, I was given hours. I started work the following Thursday, when I was working a lunch shift. I came in very hesitant, and wondering if I could even be any help, but as soon as I shook hand with John, the very competent man in charge of the kitchen that day, I was given a job to do. Within a couple of minutes, I was right at home, chopping, slicing, heating up, and all other assorted cooking terms you can think of.

After about an hour of prep work and getting ready for lunch, It was time to start serving. This is a very rewarding part of the experience there, and it was really something I had never encountered before. Me and about 3 of my coworkers were handed plates, two at a time, to go serve to the people waiting outside in the dining room. All of these people had been there before, and knew what to expect, but even as I put the plates of food down in front of them, you could see how grateful they were. It was a great feeling to know you were helping someone.

All in all, it was a great first day at work. I had a blast working, and it felt great to know that I was also giving something back to the community in the process. I look forward to working there much more in the future, and I will put even more detail about exactly what we do at The Queens Galley in future blogs.