Carson soldier is helping out seniors before shipping out to Iraq

Gary Barker ships out to Iraq with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team on Monday, but first, he and his wife, Kim, had some Thanksgiving deliveries to make.

The Barkers hit the streets Tuesday with other members of the Big Horn 4x4 Club, four-wheelers who have helped deliver Thanksgiving food boxes for Silver Key Senior Services for the past 18 years.

On the way to their first stop, Barker — a sergeant with a 3rd BCT communications unit — explained why they do it.

“This community really supports the military. So, you know, it’s a way of giving back,” he said. “This fourwheel drive club, we really got hooked on them. It’s real familyoriented.”

Club members each had several food boxes to drop off at addresses around central Colorado Springs. Then they planned to gather at a local restaurant.

It amounted to more than just dropping off boxes. At the home of 88-year-old Helen Shipp, the Barkers stopped to chat. Kim Barker got on her knees to hold hands with the wheelchair-bound Shipp, who clutched Barker and smiled as they chatted.

It took only a moment, though, for Shipp to turn somber and say, “I don’t like the idea of dying.”

Kim Barker smiled back and said, “It’s going to be all right. I will pray for you.”

Some small talk followed. Then the tiny old woman said “Thank you so much. I’m sorry if I detained you.”

Oh, no, the Barkers said, have a happy Thanksgiving.

Just another touching moment created by Silver Key and the many organizations that pool their efforts throughout the year and especially during the holidays.

“We do the Thanksgiving drop and the Christmas drop, which is more fun because there are presents,” Kim Barker said.

Not every food-box recipient wants to engage in conversation, but for some of the lonely shut-ins it’s a rare chance to talk to someone.

“We ask volunteers to give 15 or 20 minutes, love them a little bit,” said Silver Key President David Shaffer.

Tuesday, the typical box contained a 10- to 12-pound turkey or ham, with some canned goods such as corn niblets, coffee and tea, cans of soup and a small fruitcake.

Silver Key’s food donations came from Colorado Springs Utilities, Diversified Veterans, Disabled Veterans, Woodmen Sertoma, Citivan Group, Discovery Canyon Campus, Pamela Dawson, Nancy Oswell, Mary Hendricks and numerous individuals. Late in the day Tuesday, Atmel Corp. delivered a truckload of food to Silver Key.

More than 500 of the boxes were delivered this week by several groups of volunteers.

Mike Borum, president of the Big Horn four-wheelers, said many of the group’s members are military veterans.

“It’s become such a tradition, we wouldn’t even think of not doing it,” he said.

A reflection of the economy, donations have slumped this year.

“We’re normally doing 900 to 1,100 boxes, so we’re way down,” Shaffer said, adding that for Christmas, “We need food badly.”

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0363 or noreen@gazette.com