Pathways gets boost from 'Walking with Jesus' family night

“We had about 20 people at the first VBS meeting, and it was really wonderful to have all the help we needed,” Kacey Shaeffer said.

After a dinner of walking tacos served by the Holy Cow food truck, children walked around the church to collect donations for the Pathways Center.

Neil Ravenna, director of food service for Pathways, said the event would help fund some of the meals from the food truck, which was transitioned into a nonprofit truck after he accepted the food service director position in Sept. 2021.

“We feed between 100–125 people every single day. Rather than trying to make a profit off of hamburgers and hot dogs for a few dollars we can feed more people by just going to different areas and feeding them,” Ravenna said.

The Holy Cow food truck makes stops in towns around Haywood County throughout the week, Tuesday through Saturday. Currently, the truck stops in at the Cruso Methodist Church on Tuesdays, Canton Community Kitchen on Wednesdays, First United Methodist Church of Waynesville on Thursdays and alternates between First Baptist and First Presbyterian churches in Waynesville on Friday and Saturdays.

“It’s for anyone,” Ravenna said. “If you come with just a little bit of gratitude, that’s fine. Some people give donations, but you’re not required to give a donation. We’ve gotten everything from $100 bills to hands full of change from people.”

Ravenna found his way to the director of food services position at Pathways after a career as a professional chef. He had served as executive chef at the University of Alabama, wrote a curriculum for a new culinary arts program in Tuscaloosa and moved to Tampa to work as a personal chef.

“Tampa was so hot, so much traffic. I missed the mountains but I didn’t miss an 8-month winter, so I moved to Bryson City and took a job at a fine dining hotel,” Ravenna said.

He stopped by Waynesville to say hello to a friend at Pathways two years later and found out the kitchen manager had left that morning.

“Sometimes, life happens and you start chasing paychecks and notoriety. When this came around I was in a position where I could take what I’d been doing for 40 years and help a whole bunch of people with it. I go home happy every day, not aggravated from being in a kitchen,” Ravenna said.

The VBS walk-a-thon fundraiser was inspired by Elizabeth Chapel member Gwyn McIntosh, who decided to pay forward her raffle prize from Pathways’ Empty Bowls fundraiser. McIntosh won a dinner for six cooked and served by Ravenna. Pathways agreed to send the food truck for the VBS event instead.

“I was just tickled to be able to do something good with the prize. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to eat or who I wanted to invite. This just felt better to me to do something for the kids,” McIntosh said.

VBS children collected about $800 for Pathways at the walk-a-thon, which was part of the family night finale of the “Walking with Jesus” VBS. Children walked laps around the church after dinner and collected donations from parents and other attendees.

“I think this is a prime example of the way God provides everything that we need, abundantly,” said Elizabeth Chapel pastor Ben Shaeffer. “We hope to work further with Pathways in the future.”