Scenes from the big celebration on June 19, 2024, to name our center The Dick Larson Food Pantry!
A little about Dick Larson, from High Country Press, January 13, 2020. By Tim Gardner:
As a retired U.S. Marine officer and pilot, Dick Larson’s leadership skills formed as a young man. From the Marine Corps to Duke University School of Medicine, he made the transition to vascular surgeon and university professor. He practiced general and vascular surgery in Greenville, NC for nineteen years. After retirement from the medical profession in 2000, he excelled as a woodworker and has operated Larson’s Fine Furniture for a decade.
He and his wife, Carol, retired to the North Carolina High Country in 2000. He and Carol have a son, Chris, who along with his wife, Julia, live in Zionville with their new baby, Reid.
Church work and service to local nonprofits have filled Dick Larson’s time and interest in the more recent years. He has served with Avery Habitat for Humanity as a worker and a board member, and has also served on the board and as president of the Avery Partnership for People at the End of Life.
In the summer of 2017, former Feeding Avery Families president John Cox announced that he would be retiring from the post that June, so therefore the organization would undergo a leadership transition.
FAF’s Board of Directors wasted no time beginning the search for a new Executive Director. Of those who applied for the position, the Board unanimously selected Dick Larson. And he has proven that few individuals could have been hired as qualified to lead Feeding Avery Families and perhaps few who could have made it as successful.
Dick Larson considers Feeding Avery Families as a mission “as close to his heart as any,” adding: “This is an organization that began with a small group of people doing wonderful things for people, and many great groups start like that. My hiring as Executive Director was kind of a watershed point for our organization. John Cox did a great job leading the FAF and with his leaving, it became a time to begin broadening our base and formalizing the structure of the organization.
“One of my main objectives when I took over was the immediate need for continuity in the organization, and I wanted see it grow and evolve in the future based on what came before, including expanded service and new partnerships with other community organizations. I’m proud we have witnessed all of those objectives become reality.”
Larson listed what he considers the milestone achievements of Feeding Avery Families during his tenure as its Executive Director. Those include: Change in food distribution to Client Choice; Increase in people fed from 1,000 to 1,300 per month; More than doubling the amount of food each family receives (from 27 to 60 pounds); Adding large amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables for each family; Substantially increasing the organization’s financial reserves; Assuming management of the school backpack program and establishing in-school food pantries; and Creating and stocking five Community Pantries on school grounds, available anytime, day or night, to anyone who needs food, and that were built by the skilled trades class in carpentry at Avery County High School.
When asked about the future of Feeding Avery Families, Dick Larson noted: “I believe that feeding of the hungry is scripturally sound and the need in Avery County will keep growing as its population ages.”
Obituary
Dr. Richard Martin “Dick” Larson, MD, age 79, of Banner Elk, North Carolina passed away on Saturday, August 24, 2024 at his home in Banner Elk. Dick was born in Oswego, New York to Walfred and Clare Larson on May 30, 1945. He attended Oswego public schools and graduated from Cornell University in 1966. He joined the Marine Corp and trained as a fighter pilot. He served one tour of duty in Vietnam and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. When his Marine Corp service ended Dick attended Duke University School of Medicine where he also did his internship and residency in surgery. When he finished his training, he moved to Greenville, NC and joined Pitt Surgical Associates where he practiced for 19 years. After retiring from the practice of surgery, he moved to Banner Elk and became a woodworker, selling his furniture in craft shows around the area and in a local gallery. He became very active in Banner Elk Presbyterian Church serving as an elder, teacher, and choir member. He also served in the local Presbytery in several capacities. About eight years ago he was approached to become the executive director of our local food pantry. Of all his careers, this may have been the most rewarding. Under his leadership the number of clients served has grown and a new building now houses space to serve them. He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather and loyal friend to all who knew him. He is survived by his wife Carol, his son Christopher,(Julia), grandson Reid, Brothers Alan (Carol) Larson, Philip (Mary Lou) Larson and sisters-in-laws, Pamela Schaefer, Megan (Frank) Curran and Jennifer (Chuck) Cohen.