Loyal. Dependable. Respected. That’s how the late Bruce Howard, a beloved member of the TASK kitchen staff, is remembered.

It’s been about two years since Howard lost his battle with cancer, at the height of COVID. Last September, TASK honored his memory during our 40th anniversary event with a plaque that now hangs over the pass-through window to the kitchen.

“Bruce worked his tail off,” TASK Associate Executive Director Paul Jensen says. “He had a system, a way of doing things. He took great pride in his work.”

“We were raised up like siblings — grew up together,” Howard’s cousin, Roy Richardson says. “He had some rough times for a hot minute. When he got himself together and got the job at TASK — he was home.”

Richardson, along with his wife, Dawana Richardson, and Bernice Richardson, his mother and Howard’s aunt, attended the dedication, pictured above with Jensen. The family was moved to tears, seeing the impact Howard had on his co-workers.

“I got choked up because I know what he’d been through,” Richardson says. “And the fact that the soup kitchen, a staple in the community, regarded him that highly — well, that’s a special thing. I was happy to see him remembered like that.”