“I was on the Food Bank Board for 10 years and I can’t remember a time that I didn’t see Barry.” – Melba Helms James
Barry Strother passed away on February 5, 2021, but not before making an impact on his community that will last for generations to come. Among his many acts of service in the community, Barry volunteered with the Food Bank from 1985 through 2020.
“Barry told me he was walking around town one day and a man pulled over and asked, ‘Young man, what are you doing?’,” recalls Emily Kincaid, former Marketing Director at the Food Bank. “He said ‘Nothing,’ and that man told him ‘Well, get in. You can help us at the Food Bank’...Barry came back almost every day for the rest of his life.”
Barry served in numerous capacities over his years of volunteer service, but Food Bank CEO Kara Nickens says his greatest joy came simply from his encounters with other people.
“He truly enjoyed visiting with people, especially our agencies,” Kara says. “Barry’s gentle spirit endeared him to more people than we can count.”
Barry suffered a stroke at birth, which left him with some physical setbacks — but nothing stopped him from serving his community, both through the Food Bank and his home church.
“Many probably didn’t know what would become of Barry,” Emily says. “But few would have guessed he would spend his life helping feed thousands of people in our community,”
The Food Bank will not be the same without Barry there to help every day, but his impact will remain in our community for a long time to come.
“He will always be a part of the Food Bank family,” Kara says.
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