40 Under 40: Brana Cully

Brana Cully was working at a small TV station when she realized she missed working more directly with people. A friend was working at a food bank, and Cully loved the idea of connecting with others in a more direct way. She applied for a job at the organization.

"Twelve years later, I am still in the food bank field," said Cully, who works as volunteer coordinator and development assistant at Third Avenue Marketplace Food Bank & Senior Café.

The field isn't what she originally thought she would be doing after studying political science in college. She thought she would end up in the legal field or working as a reporter.

She remembers taking a political theory class in college, where she was introduced to old texts from a variety of philosophers, including Plato and Hobbes. She realized that many were really just trying to better understand human nature and human systems.

And that, she noted, is what she does on a daily basis.

"I get to interact with a lot of different people, from people needing help to people offering to help in whatever way they can," Cully said. "I think some of those political theory classes have put some foundational ideas in my mind that hopefully improve what I do."

She credits that love of helping others to the role food played as a connecting force in her family. She grew up in a small town in Serbia, where she was lucky to have home‑cooked meals every day made by her mom, dad and grandma.

"Eating meals together is one of the most important things we do as a family when we are together today, too," Cully said. "Sharing home‑cooked meals with friends and family is so important, and I think there are many people who don't get to do that today for a variety of reasons."

At the food bank and senior café, she considers herself blessed to be able to help local families make those same connections by providing groceries to make meals at home, as well as offering a place for seniors to share meals several times a week.

"I know that food doesn't solve all problems, but I know without shared meals our health is jeopardized and the connections we make with others in our community are jeopardized, too," Cully added.

With a baby on the way, Cully said her future is centered around family and friends. She wants to keep helping others and improve their lives. She would also love to help her husband create a makerspace, a collaborative workspace that functions much the same way as old‑school guilds used to. It would be a place where young people can learn skills and crafts, from woodworking and leatherworking to working with metals and other materials.

"Hopefully it would bring back more manufacturing and American craftsmanship in our communities," Cully said. "As they say, ‘man can't live on bread alone.’"

She also wants to continue working on ways to "feed" future generations so they can live better lives. In her role at the food bank, Cully said she has met numerous gifted volunteers with amazing skills who also take the time to share them.

"I have also seen youngsters who are trying to figure out their way in life and who might not have a lot of good mentors guiding them," she said. "I think this makerspace could combine the two and help both the retired, skilled people and kids who need good role models and mentors in their lives."

It's that message that she would share with her younger self, Cully said.

"Have faith and don't worry as much," she added.