A compassionate light, an advocate and cheerleader who took pride in her work and sought to make the community a better place.
All of these qualities — and more — are how friends of Sherry Houze will remember her.
Houze passed away July 18 from complications due to cancer.
Mother’s Cupboard Community Kitchen and Food Pantry announced the passing of its longtime executive director and chef the following day.
“Our hearts are broken,” Mother’s Cupboard board President Sandy Richardson said.
“Chef Sherry meant so much to so many in our community. She made sure that no child had to go to bed hungry. She mentored volunteers and was the face of Mother’s Cupboard to the public.”
Now the nonprofit that feeds residents each day free of charge is in need of extra volunteers now more than ever to help keep the doors open and provide hot meals.
Houze planned nutritious and tasty menus each day around donations from food banks and individuals.
“She worked with our volunteers to empower them to cook great food. She planned special events for our customers and made everyone feel special,” Richardson said.
“Without her, we wouldn’t be feeding people.”
“Chef Sherry” came to Mother’s Cupboard with a wealth of kitchen experience that she poured into the community.
She designed the new kitchen when Mother’s Cupboard partnered with Habitat for Humanity to build the Helping Hands Building, which now houses both organizations.
Her experience and skills led the kitchen for nearly a decade.
“Chef loved her job, she loved Mothers Cupboard, she loved the volunteers and she made sure our clients had as much as possible. Without her, I can say without a doubt, that Mother’s Cupboard would not be the organization it is today,” Richardson said in a post on Mother’s Cupboard’s Facebook page.
“All of us on the board are very sad,” she continued. “She was our executive director, but she was also our friend. Personally, I will deeply miss her. … Sherry was a remarkable woman. She was funny, kind, compassionate and she lived to serve others. She will be deeply missed.”
Mother’s Cupboard serves hot meals free-of-charge and has a food pantry open for families to pick up food they may need. The pantry is open Monday through Saturday, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Mother’s Cupboard’s location on Memorial Drive.
Doug Cauble’s service at Mother’s Cupboard began in 2000, joining as a volunteer then eventually sitting on the board of directors.
He was president of the board when Sherry was hired in 2013.
There was a search committee created tasked with finding candidates, Cauble said.
After interviewing two candidates with nonprofit and kitchen experience, a unanimous “yes” finally came from the committee after speaking with Houze.
She had organizational skills, professional kitchen experience and was interested in the mission of Mother’s Cupboard: serve meals every day, no question asked because no one should ever be hungry.
She graduated summa cum laude from Sullivan University National Center for hospitality studies in Louisville, Kentucky in 1998 with an associate’s degree in culinary arts and chef training.
She served as executive chef at Indiana University Memorial Union catering services and other food outlets across the campus.
Looking over her resume, board member Jim Oliver said, “We have to have her.”
‘A blessing to know’
Right from the start, Houze brought with her tenacity and vision for the nonprofit, Cauble said.
At that time, Mother’s Cupboard was still at its Bean Blossom location and right away Houze started pushing for a bigger and more professional space, Cauble said.
It took some time, but Habitat for Humanity came to the board and suggested they build something together.
“Stars started to align, but it was Sherry pushing the board that made it happen,” Cauble said.
She worked with the architect to design the kitchen she wanted, which has been up and running since 2015.
In 2010, Steve Waggoner’s wife spoke with someone about Mother’s Cupboard always needing volunteers.
After his wife volunteered, Waggoner said they needed a cook to fill in while another was on vacation.
“My wife said she knew a guy who could do it,” he said. “So I spent the next two weeks there and I liked it so well I stayed.”
It’s difficult to describe Houze, Waggoner said.
“She was a very compassionate lady,” he said. “We dare not to get her upset. Other than that, she was just a sweetheart of a lady.”
Houze then made Waggoner her assistant director, a position he filled until he left due to his wife’s dementia.
“She would always be doing things to help the community,” he said of Houze.
Handing out grocery bags, fixing up boxes of items for families in need, Waggoner said she was an “all-around good gal.”
“She was a very, very wonderful lady and it broke our hearts when we received word that she passed away. There won’t be another lady like her.”
When local artist MK Watkins first moved to Brown County with her husband Jim in 2013, she immediately went on the search to find a nonprofit where she could volunteer one day per month.
Her niece was donating garden vegetables to Mother’s Cupboard, so Watkins decided to give volunteering at the pantry a try. Watkins has been at Mother’s Cupboard one day a month ever since.
“I walked in and I said, ‘Before anyone says anything, I’m not a cook,’” Watkins said. “Sherry convinced me I was.”
Watkins was always impressed by her ability to know necessary ingredients to feed 200 people.
“I think since she loved her job so much, all of us did,” Watkins said. “She was fun to be around.”
Houze’s office was situated on the backside of the building, after a walk through the kitchen, past the dishwashing station.
Behind her desk is a large, vivid portrait of her standing in the kitchen of Mother’s Cupboard, surrounded by delicious foods and sunflowers — her favorite flower, Richardson said.
Watkins painted the portrait for the chef, adding edible plants and herbs to the painting as well.
“I don’t think we’ll ever be able to fill her shoes,” Watkins said. “She made everybody feel comfortable all the time. I loved her for that.”
Kyle Marchuck considers herself blessed to have been mentored by Chef Sherry.
Years ago Marchuck would pick up meals for her family at Mother’s Cupboard when one day she noticed a help wanted sign in the window.
She volunteered as cook for several years and as her kids grew up her schedule also opened up to dedicate more of her time.
Marchuck started by helping Houze in the kitchen three days a week, the position evolving over the years. As Houze became sick, Marchuck and Waggoner started picking up more responsibilities.
“She was a great mentor,” Marchuck said. “She always had a smile on her face — her energy met you before you saw her.”
From the way she dressed, to the way she spoke and the smile on her face, Marchuck said all could recognize Houze’s dedication.
“Her managerial and organizational skills were amazing,” Marchuck said of Houze.
The kitchen was always organized and the menu book was filled with recipes. Supplies were set out and labels showed volunteers where everything in the kitchen should be.
She always had my back, always stood behind me and supported me the last several years. It was a real blessing to know Sherry,” Marchuck said.
“The care that she put into her life, the effort she put into her life for the people she cared about was amazing.”
That care was especially apparent around the holidays, Chef Sherry’s favorite.
“She made sure everyone had a piece of the holidays,” Marchuck said.
She decorated the pantry for every holiday. She would pass out candy at Halloween, valentine letters on Valentine’s Day and grilled out on the Fourth of July.
Her Christmas parties were spectacular, Watkins said.
“She made sure no matter who you were, even if you didn’t need food, it was always a party,” she said. “With every single holiday, it wasn’t just a day, it was an event.”
Cauble said Houze was Mother’s Cupboard cheerleader who attended community events and group meetings to speak about the pantry while going “above and beyond” to meet the needs of food insecurity in the community.
“That more than anything endeared her to the community,” he said. “She always had a good time, was always upbeat and positive.”
It’s hard to focus on just one memory of Houze, Cauble said.
“Her ability to move people in a direction, to work with folks and get the boards pushed into, ‘Let’s build this building’ — it was a major accomplishment,” he said. “She was proud of the community linkage that came. Her ability to bring people together was amazing.”
Brown County Community Foundation made a donation to Mother’s Cupboard in memory of Chef Sherry and directed others to do the same if they wished.
“In Brown County, where over 10% of our population is food insecure, Chef Sherry devoted herself to providing meals to our most vulnerable neighbors,” BCCF CEO Maddison Miller said.
“When people are hungry, they can’t learn, can’t work, and can’t grow. Sherry didn’t just fill bellies, she changed lives.”
That change will live on and remain evident in the community, Cauble said.
“What she did for the community is pretty evident,” he said.
”She will be missed, but Mother’s Cupboard will continue. Her legacy will live on.”
Make a Donation
Memorial donations can be sent to:
Mother’s Cupboard Community Kitchen, Inc. P.O. Box 825 Nashville, Indiana 47448
Or use PayPal: Paypal.me/motherscupboard
Get Involved
Volunteers are always needed to cook and serve hot meals as well as distribute goods in the pantry. Cooks are needed from 1 to 4 p.m. and servers from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Call 812-929-4369 for more information.
