Our people: Hunger buster

Nancy Taylor has lived in Clovis since 1972. She was instrumental in starting the Food Bank of Eastern New Mexico in 1983 and loves what she does because she helps people.

Tell us how you met your spouse.

The Rust Tractor General Service Manager was conducting a meeting for his out of town managers at the Western Skies Hotel. Mr. Rust asked that I take information to be used before the end of the meeting. Joe asked me to join him for dinner that evening.

When I get in my car, the first thing I listen to is...

The way the vehicle is running then good music.

In an alternative life, I would have been...

I would have been me with added wisdom. I really don’t know as I’m not sure what I wanted to be when I grow up. So many

After a long, hard day, I love to...

Summer sit on the porch when it is quiet and visit with Joe about our day or when time allows, saddle and ride. In winter or after a storm go for a drive. Go our for dinner with the family.

My favorite bad-for-me food is...

County and state fair cuisine.

What’s your idea of a perfect day?

A day with some quiet reflection, family, friendship, health, giggles, laughter, quality air, water, food, shelter for all.

What is your theme song?

Happiest Girl In The Whole USA.

Who’s invited to your fantasy dinner party and why?

Jesus, Einstein, Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela. For the fantastic opportunity to listen and learn in person.

What do you think about Clovis and Portales?

This is my chosen home. I am thankful for the opportunity to have lived and raised our family here. The people in this part of the country are fantastic.

What’s your favorite TV show, past and present?

“M.A.S.H.” and “Nightline.”

What’s so great about your favorite sport?

Amateur horse events. Trail rides, horse shows, equestrian Special Olympic events. The world always looks better to me from the back of a good horse.

Tell us about a happy time.

My son R.B. and brother Phil loaded our four-door pick up with gifts and a Christmas tree so that Joe and I could leave Clovis on Christmas Eve in bitter cold to surprise my folks for their first Christmas living in Diamond City, Ark. The guys stayed home together to take care of the aviary and livestock. When R.B. and Brenda married.

What was your most embarrassing moment?

We had a yearly tomato growing contest with our first friends and neighbors in Farmington. The guys had great fun stealing each other’s tomatoes, best bragging rights for the biggest tomato, tallest vine or whatever. The produce ended up on the picnic table for both families to share. Lots of laughs and fun. Both families moved but stayed in touch. Reunited years later for a Hobbs/Clovis game, both couples laughed over dinner about our tomato garden fun. A month later I had the opportunity to be in Hobbs for a business meeting. Great opportunity to have dinner and maybe go to Wednesday evening church with them. I left the meeting, went straight to the local fruit market, purchased the largest tomato I could find and preceded to their home just in time for dinner, I thought. I stood out of sight at the front door with only my hand holding a huge tomato in sight, rang the doorbell. I just knew that either one of the couple would know immediately that it was me and be consumed with hysterical laughter. To my dismay, an unknown man answered the door. No easy way to explain my presence to a confused stranger. He was of course not sure why a lady in a business suit was standing on his porch with a huge tomato in her extended hand. Our friends had moved the week before. After apologizes and explanations I did get to go to our friends home and share that big tomato for dinner.

What would you be doing if you weren’t doing your job?

I can’t imagine.

What do you envision your life being like in 10 years?

Living in Clovis and doing some traveling.

When you were a kid, what did you think you’d be doing as an adult?

There were so many interesting things to do, think about and be that I never could make up my mind.

If money were no object, what would you do to make the work a better place?

I know we will always have challenges in this world, but I still believe that everyone deserves enough life sustaining food to nurture body and soul.

What makes being a food banker worthwhile?

Working with a dedicated staff, board of directors and supporters that believe we must meet the food needs of our neighbors, especially children.

Who is your hero and why?

Bill Gates for all the philanthropic endeavors his money has achieved around the world.

If I could do anything, I would...

Bring peace to the world.

What is your greatest hope?

The Serenity Prayer — God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change he things I can an the wisdom to know the difference.

What is your favorite taste?

A fresh picked peach.

What is your favorite smell?

Morning coffee brewing in the mountains.

Tell us about a time you were afraid.

A night when my husband was called out to assist with a New Mexico State Police special event for the New Mexico Mounted Patrol. At the time, there was a pair of jail escapees that were thought might try to pass through this area en route to a Texas hometown. The presumption was that they would use a farm to market road. We lived on such a road so after the watchdog was let in, the doors were locked, the dog and I retreated to the bedroom, locked the door and settled in to read when strange noises outside made the dog furious. With weapons at the ready and the dog barking like crazy, we waited for the attack. After a tense three hours that was probably more like three minutes, one of the neighbor’s cows bellowed for her calf right under the bedroom window. They had broken out of their pasture to come sample my flower bed greens. Much relieved the dog and I fell asleep until Joe got home. No escapees thank goodness, just a drug bust in the next county!

What’s your favorite part about your job?

The opportunity to assist groups whose mission of feeding hungry families.

What do you not like about your job?

The necessity to rely on transported food into the area. We have wonderful farming capacity but almost none of the product is table ready. Our product leaves the area to be processed and our chance for donation is lost except for a very small portion. Most food banks have the opportunity for local manufacturing food donations. We are proud of the local donors that are so gracious, and hope there are more to come.

My friends and family call me...

Honeybabe, Sis or Nan.

Wonderful choices.

If I had a plane ticket to anywhere, I would go to...

Clovis, N.M. via a global tour around the world at a slow pace in order to see and visit all of the fascinating areas of the world.

One movie I could watch over and over again is...

South Pacific. I love the score.

The most unique place I’ve ever traveled is to...

Ireland. 1. Trinity College, Dublin. 2. Sitting on the edge of a cliff hundreds of feet above the entrance to Gallway Bay. 3. In Ireland’s National Connemara Horse Reserve I was allowed to hike out into the mare and foal pasture to sit and wait for them to come question my presence. The product of generations of shipwrecks the Connemara evolved into a breed exclusive to Ireland.

Who’s your favorite entertainer and why?

Julia Roberts because of her diverse talent and because she works diligently to end human trafficking.

Bio

Name: Nancy Sue Null Taylor

Profession: Executive director of the Food Bank of Eastern New Mexico

Hometown: Shenandoah, Iowa

Family: Husband, Joe, step son Steven Ryan, brothers Sheldon and Philip, step father Graham Ray Eskridge, step brothers Rick Eskridge, Roger Eskridge and Wayne Eskridge