Program News

Entering Carmen Schiavone’s orbit is like jumping into a mile-high twister: you just have to hang on and go along for the ride. And as catering and kitchen manager for Loaves and Fishes of Contra Costa, she stirs up just about everything that comes into and goes out of the Pittsburg kitchen.

Hungry and jobless – that is the message we hear repeatedly in our dining rooms. The growing need for a hot, nutritious meal here at Loaves and Fishes of Contra Costa (LFCC) continues to expand at an alarming rate. We have seen more than a 54 percent increase on most days, and near the end of the month that increase in meals served is close to 100 percent higher than last year’s. Currently we are serving more than 9,000 meals per month. Residents of Contra Costa County continue to struggle in this recession that relentlessly grinds on with no relief in sight.

The first day on a new job is a spicy brew of excitement, surprise, perhaps a touch of anxiety, and expectations, some met, others not. Such was December 3rd for Loaves and Fishes’ new executive director, Michael Baroman-Coggins, on an introductory tour of L&F’s kitchen and dining rooms, guided by Bart Charlow, interim executive director, and Carol Babcock, operations manager.

Chef Carmen Schiavone, Catering Manager for Loaves & Fishes of Contra Costa, provides the ingredients and directions for preparing Thanksgiving dinner for over a thousand guests.