In 2000, Barbara lost her job. As a result of being unemployed, she began to question her purpose in life. After much soul searching and prayer she was inspired to shift her focus from herself to the plight of people in the inner city.

Barbara has an unusual gift for finding bargains and she soon realized that feeding the hungry was not only fulfilling but also life-giving. Barbara used coupons and her own money to purchase food and began distributing it from the trunk of her car. When her trunk could no longer accommodate her clients, she asked her pastor to allow her to use the church basement instead.

As the operation grew, Barbara enlisted the help of volunteers from the members of her church…and Creech Community Food Pantry of Paterson, New Jersey was born. Barbara no longer uses coupons. She now receives support from such organizations as Star of Hope and the Emergency Food Coalition.

Barbara has grown her mom and pop trunk operation, which initially fed 50 feed people, into a well-managed food bank that now feeds more than 1,500 households per month. Barbara has a unique ability to convince people to donate food – and she also receives donations of clothes, computers, office supplies and furniture, which she distributes to other organizations and to those in need.

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