Meet Brana Cully, development assistant and volunteer coordinator for the 3rd Avenue Marketplace in Post Falls, a nonprofit that works to enrich the lives of Kootenai County residents through food assistance, nutrition education and access to community services.
1) How are things going at the brand-new 3rd Avenue Marketplace in Post Falls?
Things are going great at our new 3rd Avenue Marketplace building! We all feel like we got a pep in our step since we opened the doors of the new building April 1. It’s almost like all our volunteers, guests, staff, 20-plus other nonprofits that are part of our Food Share program and pick up food weekly and anybody that comes through our doors got a boost when we moved into the new facility. I also love that we have our 3rd Avenue Senior Café, where it feels like a party every time it’s lunch day or bingo or one of the other activities.
2) Why did you choose to work for a nonprofit that helps fight food insecurity?
I thought I was going to go into law or journalism and after writing for a local San Diego TV station for one year, I quickly realized that I would like to work with people more directly. I had a friend working at a food bank in southern California and they were trying to fill a role, so I decided to give it a try. That was about 10 years ago, and I am living in North Idaho now, but I am so grateful I found this line of work! I feel like I get to be around people helping people all the time. It gets complicated at times, but at the end of the day, I am grateful I am at least doing something that makes other people’s days a bit better. I am also grateful to meet so many wonderful people who have kind hearts, bright minds, helping hands and are just great role models for me and anyone they come in contact with.
3) What are some of the biggest needs for the market at this time?
The food items we need most for our 3rd Avenue Market (that we don’t normally get from our daily grocery store pick-ups) are:
• Cereal
• Chili
• Canned meats (tuna, chicken, etc.)
• Chicken noodle soups (and other hardy soups)
• Canned fruit
• Condiments and cooking oil
• Hygiene items
• Pet food (we love to provide this for our guests when possible!)
We also run a weekend backpack program, and we partner with all the schools in the Post Falls School District to provide weekly food for kids. So, I wanted to just mention that for this program we always need more of the following:
• Ready-serve mac and cheese
• Canned Chef Boyardee
• Single-serve fruit cups
• Single-serve oatmeal
• Granola bars
4) What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
I was born in Serbia and got the chance to move to America in 2004 thanks to my dad’s job! Also, thanks to my dad, I played a lot of pingpong in my life and played competitively for years. Now, I’m trying to coach seniors (and anyone else interested) twice a month out of our Senior Café and am slowly learning how to make the sport fun for people instead of just trying to win all the time.
5) What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving holiday?
My family and friends, North Idaho, good health, good food, kind people, smiles and more!
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Do you know someone in Kootenai County who makes our community awesome? Send Fast Five suggestions to Devin Weeks, dweeks@cdapress.com, to highlight locals who contribute their time and talents to make North Idaho such a special place.
FAST FIVE Brana Cully: A pingpong queen who loves helping others
