Lashara Newkirk

Lashara has cooked her whole life. She first came to OpenDoors through the Resource Center, looking for help finding a job. She was hired to cook dinners for the 25 residents of the men’s shelter, and soon began working as a case manager and peer recovery specialist as well.

When the Motel 6 shelter opened in 2023, she expanded the kitchen to feed 120 more residents. Today she runs the OpenDoors commercial kitchen at Saint Martin’s Church, preparing around 120 meals a day for our shelters. Joe’s Meat Market noticed how often she shopped there and offered a discount to support her work.

“This is like the closest thing to a home-cooked meal,” she says. “It’s comfort food, and it encourages them that they’ll have a home soon. The guys at the shelter are really grateful.”