Tax preparers with the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) site at Liberty Fair Mall don’t have to worry about going hungry — they can feast on snacks prepared by Regenia Manns and Vy Zanatos.
Both women volunteer with VITA, a United Way program that does returns free of charge for eligible taxpayers. They often bring treats to share at the mall site.
Cooking is fun for them now, but both got started out of necessity.
Zanatos, who lives on Watt Street, learned as a child when her mother fell ill and she had to help her father prepare meals.
“I learned to cook on a wood stove,” she recalled. That early learning eventually led her to a 25-year career in food service.
When it comes to cooking, “I can sort of fly by the seat of my pants” and prepare things with different ingredients, the 65-year-old explained. “(I use) what I find in the refrigerator at the time.”
In the restaurant business, all the recipes were standardized, so she always had to make everything the same each time, she said.
Zanatos left the food business around 1987 to care for the eight children that she and husband G. Zeke Zanatos had between them. Both were widowed with children of their own when they met, and when they married and the families combined, Vy Zanatos decided to stay home.
Her husband is a retired pastor who was pastor at Old Well Christian Church from 2000-2007. She and he both worked with the Share program in Spencer and volunteered at Memorial Hospital in Martinsville.
Their children now are grown and scattered. Rickie Rouse lives in Kansas, Tammy Perez in Gastonia, N.C., Terry Sykes in Nashville, James Zanatos in New Bern, N.C., Jenny Richardson in Hickory, N.C., and Chastaneyka Lehrer in Bedford. Zanatos’ son-in-law Jeff Lehrer also works for VITA on Saturdays.
Manns has a different story when it comes to cooking and career.
“I got married very young” said Manns, who lives on Carver Road. She learned to cook by trial and error, she said.
During the 30 years she spent working at Pillowtex, she and her co-workers traded recipes often.
“We just learned how to cook different things” that way, Manns said.
“I cook a lot of cakes,” the 63-year-old said, adding that the people at her church, Mayo Missionary Baptist, always looks for her caramel cake at dinners.
Manns has three children, Cynthia Thomas, Steven Spencer and Stephan Spencer, all of whom live in the area, and her “favorite son-in-law,” Larry Thomas.
She encouraged new cooks to follow recipes.
“In the beginning, you should go exactly by the recipe,” she said. Zanatos agreed, adding, “You’ll save yourself a lot of heartache.”
After losing her job at Pillowtex, which closed, Manns earned a degree in medical office administration from Rockingham (N.C.) Community College and worked in Reidsville, N.C., for two and a half years before her new job was cut.
While trying to get another job and not having much luck, Manns decided to use her newfound spare time to help others by volunteering. She chose the Dan River Basin Association and the MHC Coalition for Health and Wellness and became certified in tax preparation so she could volunteer with VITA.
“I learn something new every week,” she said.
Manns’ story is similar to those of many in the area, where a double-digit unemployment rate has become the norm.
“So many people are unemployed,” Manns said, adding that many people don’t have extra money to pay for having their taxes prepared. That is where VITA can help.
To qualify for the service, an individual or couple cannot have earned more than $49,000 in 2009.
The 38 volunteers at the three VITA sites (Liberty Fair Mall, Grace Network and Bassett Family Practice) had prepared 968 returns as of the end of February, stated VITA Director Pam Allen.
“People have hugged me,” said Manns, adding that the work she does is rewarding. Zanatos agreed that people tend to be grateful for the services provided and said the volunteers are just glad to help.
For more information on VITA’s services, call one of the sites. According to the United Way’s Web site, the VITA locations are: Liberty Fair Mall site, 632-0121; Bassett Family Practice site, 629-1076; Grace Network site, 638-8500; or Southside Community Action Partnership site, 666-0313.
Some of the sites require appointments, so call for details.
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