The Beauty of Second Chances: Thank you, A.W. McAlister

We are excited to share this good news: Barnabas has received a $7,500 grant from The Alexander Worth McAlister Foundation to support our unique and unduplicated service as the area's only furniture bank. We're now in our 20th year of providing systemic encouragement in the form of home furnishings thanks in large part to the McAlister Foundation's belief in our mission since our 2006 founding.

Who Was A.W. McAlister?

Alexander Worth McAlister (1862-1946) was an insurance executive and longtime member of the state welfare board. On his father's side, he was a descendant of Scottish settlers; his grandfather, Colonel Alexander McAlister, had served in the American Revolution. On his maternal side, the Worths were Quakers who had descended from John Havland, a Nantucket whaler; his great-grandfather was the brother of Governor Jonathan Worth. McAlister was a founder of the Pilot Life Insurance company and later established the Southern Stock Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Greensboro, the first insurance company established in Greensboro after the Civil War.

Photograph of Alexander Worth McAlister. From the Biennial Report of the North Carolina State Board of Charities and Public Welfare July 1, 1936 to June 30, 1938. From North Carolina Digital Collections. NCPedia

McAlister was an unabashed advocate for, as he put it, "forgotten" people, and he dedicated time and resources to alcoholism, homelessness, battered women, drug addiction, disadvantaged young people, and newly released prisoners. He helped found and served as the first president of NCCJ of the Triad.

Today, the A.W. McAlister Foundation provides grants to charitable, religious, scientific, literary, educational, historical preservation, land and nature organizations, and seeks to help those in adversity who need a helping hand.

We are grateful for the long-time support of the McAlister Foundation and honored to have it as a partner. Barnabas collects more than 17,000 pieces of furniture each year and gives it at no cost to individuals who are transitioning out of homelessness, fleeing abuse, overcoming major obstacles, recovering from disasters, and breaking the cycle of poverty. We believe in second chances for furniture and for people, and we're glad the Foundation feels the same way. Here's to recycling furniture and restoring lives together.

Fun McAlister fact: He taught himself to play golf! He fell in love with the sport and helped establish the Greensboro Country Club and Sedgefield Country Club. He loved golf so much that in 1910 he published a book about it. Check out "Eternal Verities of Golf."