Brenda has always found purpose in feeding others. For years, she worked as a cook in a nursing home — then as an eldercare cook. Now, in retirement, she has found a new way to serve.
“I thought, well, I am no longer working — and why not?” she says. Brenda started volunteering at the Dunn County Food Pantry, supplied by the Great Plains Food Bank, in September, shortly after serving on the board for a new building that will one day house a kitchen.
“They had the vision … and they came up with a great plan. It’s over and above.”
Though she has only been volunteering for nine months, Brenda has already seen the necessity of the food pantry. “We’re in very lucrative oil country, but there’s a lot of need,” she explains..
Her favorite part of volunteering? “Just to be there. To be that help for people. I guess I’m a service person, and I like to help people.” She encourages others to get involved, too. “It’s the satisfaction that you get from what you do here that I think is amazing.”
Brenda’s heart for cooking still shines through. When she noticed shelves stocked with salmon that no one was taking, she shared her go-to salmon recipe with a woman who is using salmon recipes to get pantry visitors excited about cooking salmon, “I used to make salmon loaf. … It doesn’t take much, and you put a little cheese over the top and it’s amazing,”
Whether she is sorting food, offering encouragement, or baking banana bread with her grandson, Brenda’s impact is clear — and deeply appreciated