Inter-Faith Food Shuttle brings people from diverse cultures and backgrounds together to make our community a better place. Many wonderful friendships have started at the Food Shuttle! The bond that has formed between Kay Holloway and Younes Alsoqe, two Food Shuttle team members, is a wonderful example of such a friendship.
Younes was born in Syria and lived in Lebanon for a time before returning to Syria in 2007. He fled to Jordan due to military conflict, and finally came to the United States as a refugee in 2021. Younes was able to find temporary work on the warehouse team at Inter-Faith Food Shuttle through Lutheran Services Carolinas, a Food Shuttle partner agency that helps resettle refugees in this country. Folks at the Food Shuttle were immediately impressed with Younes’ strong work ethic and offered him a permanent job at the end of the three-month contract. Kay, the Food Shuttle’s Warehouse Associate, was especially pleased with Younes’ work. “He’s extremely efficient, extremely intelligent, and he catches on fast,” Kay explains. “He’s an extremely hard worker.”
Younes does not speak English and was somewhat reserved at the beginning of his time at the Food Shuttle. However, he became fast friends with Kay as they worked together in the warehouse. Kay helped Younes learn the ropes of his new job, and Younes impressed Kay with his commitment to the job and good sense of humor. Kay says of Younes, “I like to refer to him as both my right and my left hand. It’s a pleasure to work with him.”
Kay and Younes’ friendship is well known throughout the Food Shuttle. “They break the language barrier,” says Mary Janovsky, Director of Human Resources. “They’re always laughing together!” Mary goes on to say that she views their friendship as “The epitome of the Food Shuttle’s core values in action.”
