Trish Hastings started working at Christ Kitchen as an unlikely trigger: a challenge.
A friend who volunteered at the kitchen encouraged Hastings to come and volunteer, and she said she was so nervous about going in that she parked her car and drove around the block about 10 times before she worked up the courage to go inside.
“I walked through the doors of the church, fell in love immediately, and never looked back,” Hastings said. “I learned more about the love of Christ in the year I volunteered in the kitchen than I learned in 20 years at church.”
After serving those in the Victoria community with Christ Kitchen for more than 15 years, Hastings has decided to step down from her role as executive director in order to take care of herself as much as she has cared for others. Hastings served as the non-profit's executive director for 10 years. Although she stepped down from her role in April, Hastings has not stopped serving and caring for Crossroads' most vulnerable people.
“The work was very hard but I loved it. I couldn't wait to get up in the morning to be there. I love the people and the community but I had to make the decision to take care of my health and get healthy,” Hastings said.
Hastings said she became seriously ill in February and was hospitalized for four days. The health scare caused her to pause and reevaluate her time and resources to care for herself as much as she cares for others. She said while she's not with Christ Kitchen, she's still able to help others in another capacity by taking seniors to hospital appointments and helping them understand medical and legal documents.
“It's never been about us. It's about us,” Hastings said of her time serving at Christ Kitchen.
During her time in office, she has impacted the lives of countless people, and friends and community members have nothing but good things to say about her.
Kim Pickens, president of the Golden Crescent Homeless Coalition and founder of the Humility Project, said she met Hastings when Pickens was conducting her first Point in Time Count in 2013. The two have remained friends ever since.
“It's been a great collaboration. I didn't realize there was a name for the community work we do – Community Health Workers. Our passion for helping people experiencing homelessness has been the catalyst for many success stories,” Pickens said.
Pickens said Hastings is one of the few people who truly is the hands and feet of Jesus Christ.
“She made sure to listen and be open to anyone who came in for a hot meal,” Pickens said.
Hastings has worked in the kitchen through Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the 2021 snowstorm and the coronavirus pandemic.
“She has a heart for service,” said Robin Cadle, president and CEO of Golden Crescent Food Bank.
Caddle and Hastings met through the food bank in 2015, which works closely with Christ's Kitchen to provide food to Victoria's most vulnerable residents.
“Trish always faced challenges and always came through with a smile. She empowered homeless people and increased the number of people Christ Kitchen reaches,” Caddle said.
Cindy Roberts, a volunteer with Christ Kitchen, said Hastings had been a close friend since the '80s.
“She's a great friend to a lot of people and a great Christian with an open-minded attitude,” Roberts said.
Mr Hastings said he wanted to continue helping Victoria's less fortunate with things most people take for granted, like going to the doctor or reading and understanding their mail.
Hastings said the people she served in the kitchen became her friends because they knew how to love with all their heart.
In 2008, her 16-year-old son, Samuel, crashed his motorcycle into a herd of wild hogs and was taken by helicopter to University Hospital in San Antonio.
“The kitchen people, people in the community sold us cigarettes and cans. They knew my son Samuel loves Chick-fil-A and there's a Chick-fil-A right outside the hospital. They raised money and gave us Chick-fil-A gift cards so we could feed Samuel while he was in the trauma center. Who would do that?” Hastings said.
She said she still cries when she hears the story.
“I love the people I serve, but I've never felt love from poverty. If I needed 25 cents, they gave me their last 25 cents because they're my friends. Five dollars is a lot of money to someone who has nothing and they cared that much. This is just one example, I could give another $100,” Hastings said.
Every day, a team of volunteers perform routine tasks that keep Christ's Kitchen running smoothly. The nonprofit has more than 100 volunteers helping out.
“We need a leader in the kitchen, but God hasn't provided a new leader yet,” Hastings said. “The board is praying, and God will provide someone to fill the position I had, He just hasn't done it yet.”
Hastings said he would love to do it 100 times.
“There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think, 'Oh man, I wish I could get there.' It was a great job, but I wasn't even getting paid,” Hastings said.
She was once asked how much she made at Christ Kitchen and she responded that the salary did not pay her enough for the work.
Hastings said the group can operate without an executive director, but cannot operate without donations and volunteers.
“Our funding comes from Christ,” Hastings said of community members who make financial donations to the kitchen.
The group is always in need of monetary donations, but most importantly, they need people to volunteer their time to serve in the kitchen.
Hastings invited everyone into Christ's Kitchen and to take a seat at the table.
“If you spend enough time with people, you realize everyone has a story,” Hastings said.
