Bryson McCarly is a husband, father, cook, and the owner of a StateFarm in Hendersonville, Tennessee. He says that he is “blessed to be a blessing”. He first heard this motto from his grandfather and has adopted it as his motto for life and volunteering. This Hendersonville local owns a StateFarm as a career and gives back to his community by helping nearby nonprofits raise money by doing the thing he is most passionate about: cooking.

Bryson provides his meal services for events like fundraisers and teacher appreciation events (which was how he got started). In 2022, he approached his local schools and offered to cook meals for the teachers, and by the end of that year, he had served 1,700 teachers. In 2023, he extended his efforts to nonprofits. Through his agency, he was able to invest $18,000 for his meal services then raise $100,000 for 21 nonprofits in his community. Bryson was amazed by these numbers, and he hopes to continue growing and supporting even more organizations in 2024.

As the grandson of a pastor, service was an important part of Bryson’s upbringing. In adulthood, he has included his own children in his volunteer efforts. His son and daughter will come to events and serve food, distribute plates, and do whatever needs to be done. Several years ago, the volunteers had extra food from an event. Bryson’s then elementary-aged daughter asked him if they could give the extra food to some homeless people nearby. They spent the rest of the evening driving around, giving away the extra plates.

“If I can have my young daughter realize the need to give and to help others, then, hey, we’re on the right track,” he says.

His children are on the right track indeed, serving others the way their father serves. Bryson lives by the mantra “blessed to be a blessing” to guide his volunteering and has perhaps instilled this philosophy in his children.

“I believe I have something to give, and I’m going to give it. God will continue to bless me, and the more he blesses me, the more I am able to give.”

Given how his daughter saw a need and, knowing she could provide, acted with selflessness, Bryson feels he has left this legacy of service to his children and to his community.

To hear more of Bryson’s story, listen to the his interview on the Doing Good Podcast.