Love of people leads Ray to Kitchen

Lee Ward, The Daily Independent, Ashland, Ky.
Updated ·2 min read

Aug. 19—ASHLAND — Love for others drove Robert Ray to apply to be Executive Director of Community Kitchen, despite already being busy with a wife, six children and a full-time job.

An Ironton native, the 42-year-old graduate of Greenup County High School has worked for Starbucks for almost eight years and currently is the general manager of the store in Ashland.

He said he believes he's up to that challenge.

"I'm going to have to manage my time wisely," he said. "I'm busy — very, very busy — all the time."

Before Starbucks, he was in management for CVS and before that, a mattress company.

Ray said he started the Community Kitchen position at the first of August. While previous work experience has prepared him for the job, he said his volunteer work in the community has made a contribution, too, as has his personal experiences.

"I come from the recovery community, and I've been sober for the last 15 years," he said. "Before, I could see me going down the path to not having anything, so it feels good to give back to that part of the community."

That's the driving force behind his desire to serve at the kitchen; he said he loves people and wants to help them.

"The way I view it, at Starbucks, I'm offering a service to people who want to pay for it," he said. "At the kitchen, clients are different. They need someone to help them. My goal is to talk to them and understand them and encourage them. Maybe I can help them and teach them how to talk to people."

He said part of the reason many are down on their luck is they have trouble with interpersonal skills, and talking with them helps develop those skills.

"We have such a huge reach into the community, to people who don't know both ends of the spectrum," he said.

For now, Ray said he's still getting to know the job and the people, but he said he hopes to partner with local schools to get students volunteering in Community Kitchen.

"I think it's a huge part of the job," he said. "The younger generation needs to see this could happen to you."

Jeremy Holbrook, The Neighborhood's director, said he's excited for Ray to join the Community Kitchen.

"I believe he has the internal drive — a commitment to excellence and also the personality that is going to inspire the clients to not only feel welcomed but also to grow in their lives," Holbrook said. "He has an extremely strong board of directors behind him, and a Neighborhood of organizations in the facility supporting him. We're blessed to have him."