By Kaylene Bishop
There are people in this world that leave an impression and for me, that’s Bernice Smith. We met for coffee and talked about everything from agronomy to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Originally from rural Homestead, FL, “the last little town before you go down to the Keys,” she remembers the thrill of the late 50’s. What do you do on a Friday night? “Race cars and do donuts in empty cornfields.”
In her family, Bernice is surrounded by pro golfers: dad, brother, son, grandson, and husband. Her mother was a great inspiration as a mom and businesswoman. Her father was the first 747 pilot for Pan American airlines and flew them to California where 15 yr old Bernice enjoyed her first taco. After school she married, had two kids, and loved mom life. Bernice was a realtor and before that, she worked as Director of Food and Beverage at Angel Park Golf Course in Las Vegas. She and her husband of 43 yrs, Craig, have lived in Star for 15 yrs with their dogs and parakeets. She met him on a golf course and considers him “one of the good guys.”
Bernice is no stranger to where local food comes from and as a member of Peaceful Belly CoOp, she got her hands dirty learning about farming. She then joined Boise Mobile Market’s crew and did it all: pickup, transportation to storage, and sales to customers. It was heavy work and she loved it. She brought the Veggie van to food deserts where folks were delighted to see them, sometimes heading back to restock. The van transformed into a mobile food pantry at Terry Reilly locations in Nampa where folks could pick up free produce, paid for by the host sites.
Since Jan. 2023, Bernice has been an all-star volunteer with Rolling Tomato. Most Wednesdays, she expertly plays car Tetris with fruit and veg donated by Charlie’s Produce and delivers a rainbow variety to partners like Give Hope Food Pantry. Sunshine is the manager and Bernice is amazed by her strength. From my perspective, game recognizes game—Bernice wields firepower and work ethic unrecognizable to many young adults today. Her humor, tenacity, and dedication to food recovery make her an invaluable volunteer.
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