Workers proudly nourish Team Goodfellow Published June 30, 2010 By Airman 1st Class Anne Gathua 17th Training Wing Public Affairs GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- It's that time again. Growling stomachs, hunger pangs and the waft of food all lead to one of the two places on base where you're guaranteed to find something to heartily satiate you, the Cressman and Western Winds dining facilities. As you fill your plates and devour your meals, have you ever wondered who makes it all possible? A team of more than 120 employees, led by Gerardo Perales, food services project manager, diligently prepare and serve wholesome meals like clockwork, making sure everybody is well fed and ready for duty. Work Services Corporation, a private non-profit organization, provides all the workers in the dining facilities. Their primary purpose is to create employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Currently, 75 percent of the workers in the two dining facilities have a disability. Workers get paid vacations, insurance, healthcare benefits for their entire family and a sense of pride. "They may have a disability, but when they come to us we find their ability and train them to excel," said Mr. Perales. "People don't want handouts, they want to earn their keep. When they start working here you can see the change in their lives because they can now depend on themselves." Ricky Bonilla has been with the company for seven years and said he likes his job as a busboy and enjoys meeting and talking to servicemembers. He is grateful that he can fend for himself and fondly remembers a trip to Washington, D.C., that WSC sponsored where he met Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and Congressman Mike Conaway. The trip showcased what the WSC program is about. "It was so much fun, I really enjoyed it," he added. A San Angelo native, Suzanne Crump has been working here for more than 11 years. "I enjoy what I do especially now that I work at the pasta bar," she said. "Meeting my customers and passing on a few words of encouragement along the way is the best part about my job. The fact that I'm alive and have a job to come to is a blessing because it's hard for people in my condition to get jobs. It's the best job I've ever had." Watching the employees grow from where they started to where they are now motivates and inspires Mr. Perales to do his job. "If this program didn't exist, most of them would have no means to support themselves and would have to rely on others," he added. "It increases the self worth of the workers. We believe if you work hard, you get rewarded. You can see the pride in their faces." A Pecos, Texas, native Pablo Renteria has been a cook here for seven years. Famous for his breakfast burritos and salsa, he said his mom and grandmother taught him how to cook when he was little and he's done it ever since. "I love meeting our servicemembers and after serving them a couple times, I always know what they want before they get to the grill," he added. "It's a great place to work with great co-workers." Mr. Perales said everyone's important because it's truly a team effort to do what they do. "We want to provide the best quality services and food we can and that's what we strive to do," he added.