Marilyn Carney, GBS
Marilyn Carney is a frequent volunteer with Grocery Bags for Seniors who began her service with the Food Shuttle after a quick Google search, inspired by her experience with Dorcas Ministries in Cary. Originally from Richmond, VA, Marilyn has always had a heart for serving her community by promoting literacy and addressing food insecurity. Since moving to Garner, she has cultivated a wide local network of community involvement, including tutoring for Wake County literacy programs and working with the Clayton Center for Active Aging. She notes she has a particular interest in child and senior hunger initiatives due to their increased vulnerability and actively coordinates a group from her church, Cary 1st Christian Church, to volunteer with Grocery Bags for Seniors each time there is an opening!
Among her philanthropic activities, Marilyn enjoys the beauty of research which she developed after a successful first career in cytotechnology. Marilyn set her eyes on UNC’s Library Science graduate program to further her skills in research. She later retired in 2013 from her second career at Wake Tech as head health sciences librarian. In her retirement, Marilyn uses those skills by participating in the National Genealogy Society, the North Carolina Genealogy Society and the Page-Walker Arts & History Center. Her family is one of her greatest sources of joy and uncovering and sharing her family history is her current priority. Storytelling has always been an essential tool for education and recognition, and we are grateful for the opportunity to share a glimpse of Marilyn’s story.
The Food Shuttle values the unique stories each of our volunteers shares and is inspired by Marilyn’s dedication to her neighbors and her effort to look beyond herself in her community. She is a true mission-minded individual who admittedly cannot recognize the difference between her day-to-day acts of kindness and formalized volunteering. To her, each day serves as an opportunity to help others beyond a traditional volunteer shift. We thank you, Marilyn!
Catherine and Al Blalock, Food Shuttle Farm
Catherine and Al Blalock have been heavily involved in the Raleigh community since 1970. Before retiring, Catherine worked in healthcare and Al worked in human resources. They always had a human-centered view of the world and enjoyed interacting with people around them. Once they retired, it was an obvious choice to volunteer. They are currently volunteering at the Raleigh Rose Garden and have volunteered previously at the USO at the RDU airport, and even helped seniors and retirees with their tax returns thru the VITA program. In 2022, they noticed the bee hives on the Farm while passing by and were interested in the plot of land in the middle of the city. They learned the scope of the organization and have been volunteering consistently ever since.
To them, volunteering is a great way to stay active and work for a good cause. The farm gives them the opportunity to get some good healthy exercise, be outdoors, and do some good to help others. They said that volunteering is “a guaranteed positive feeling” that they get to share together and feels more special when doing it with their spouse. Outside of volunteering, Catherine’s passion is working with fabric as a “sewist”. She’s designed and made about 30 wedding gowns for brides of friends and family! Al enjoys playing golf and being on the water. His fun fact? If you’ve ever eaten a Slim Jim, you can thank him. He worked for the company that makes Slim Jims for 30 years. If you find yourself on the farm, try to find these fine folks and say hi.
Thank you, Al and Catherine, for all that you do!
Chuck T., BackPack Buddies/CFH - Durham Warehouse
The Food Shuttle is proud to have incredible volunteers who generously donate their time, resources, and even the health of their rotator cuffs to support our mission. One standout volunteer driver, known as Mr. Extraordinaire or Mr. Chuck, has a long history with us dating back to the days when volunteers drove the trucks on the food distribution routes. He began his journey with the Food Shuttle in 2014 and continued to arrive every Monday at the Malone Center for the next three years to transport food from Harris Teeter to the Catholic Parish Outreach. In 2022, Mr. Chuck resumed his role as a weekly driver under our BackPack Buddies program, delivering from both the Raleigh and Durham warehouses. Since reconnecting with the organization, he has enjoyed seeing some familiar, bright faces of the employees who welcomed him when he first began volunteering.
Guided by his former employer’s motto, Chuck is no stranger when it comes to helping others in his community and being a loyal volunteer. He also credits his parents for instilling compassion and kindness, understanding that everyone is facing their challenges and deserves unwavering respect. His growing awareness of his community’s food insecurity drives him to volunteer and expresses strong trust in the programs he supports, believing they effectively fulfill their mission.
Chuck possesses a rich knowledge of the Food Shuttle and holds many memories of the different sites he has delivered to, including a unique experience transporting pallets of eggs from a chicken farm. To date, he has logged over 370 volunteer hours at the Food Shuttle alone and with no intention of stopping. We are grateful for his time, and he has become one of the icons of our organization. A true fellow who gets it done.
