What Seeds Are You Sowing?

An unexpected phone call came into the development office this summer. On the other end of the line was Cary Curd from middle Tennessee near Nashville. He said, “For some reason, God laid it on my heart that even though I’ve moved away, I need to give to the Purdue Center of Hope at The Salvation Army Memphis and the Mid-South because I had a beautiful relationship with Mrs. Purdue when I worked at the V.A. (Veteran’s Affairs) hospital in Memphis years ago.”

____________

From the early days of The Salvation Army, William and Catherine Booth’s seventh child, Evangeline Booth, was known for her strength and creativity. In 1917, Evangeline sent 250 Salvation Army volunteers to provide aid and comfort to soldiers on the frontlines in France during World War I. The volunteers started frying pastry dough inside the soldiers’ helmets and distributing these fresh doughnuts to provide a taste of comfort and home. Thus, the “Doughnut Lassies” were born.

Five decades later, this tasty tradition lived on through a woman named Gertrude Purdue in Memphis, Tennessee. Gertrude was the daughter of Salvation Army officers, and she remembered serving doughnuts to servicemen and veterans when she was just nine years old. At the age of 13, she was helping conduct summer camps for disadvantaged children. Many said Gertrude Purdue came into this world serving others, and she planted many seeds of service along the way. By the age of 21, she became a commissioned Salvation Army officer and married a fellow officer, Bramwell Purdue. In 1962, they served together in Memphis as area commanders.

With her servant heart, Gertrude immediately got to work in her new appointment. She advocated for positive change for seniors and disadvantaged women and children. She founded their local Women’s Auxiliary which continues to remain active to this day. The couple retired in 1973, but Brigadier Gertrude worked even harder as she made volunteering her “fulltime job.”

____________

Cary Curd and I met the week following his phone call to discuss some of his most memorable moments spent with Brigadier Gertrude at the V.A. hospital. During our interview, Cary laughed as he recounted many stories and said, “She was serious about her mission and just about everything, but she had the biggest heart.” He remembers Brigadier Gertrude frequently saying, “You never know what the seed you sow today will grow into down the line.”

____________

In the 1980’s, Cary was the director of volunteers at the V.A. hospital in Memphis. He met Brigadier Gertrude Purdue when she came in with what she referred to as her “Doughnut Girls” to volunteer. The two formed an immediate friendship.

Twice a month, Brigadier Gertrude and her Doughnut Girls would set up two big grease pits inside the recreation hall where they made fresh doughnuts for the patients. The staff always knew when they were at the hospital when the aroma of freshly fried doughnuts began to linger in the halls and workspaces, bringing joy and excitement to an otherwise mundane day. The V.A. hospital was thirteen stories high with 850 beds. Brigadier Gertrude, along with around 40 ladies, would serve the doughnuts two times a month to hundreds of patients. But they didn’t only serve the patients; they also wanted doctors and staff to enjoy their gift of coffee and doughnuts.

Eventually, Brigadier Gertrude and her volunteers had to stop making their fresh doughnuts when the Clinical Nutrition Department deemed them unhealthy for patients. Many volunteers might have become bitter, taking their doughnut girls elsewhere, never to return. But not Brigadier Gertrude. She had a servant’s heart, and there was no room for a grudge to take up residence. Cary says he felt broken-hearted because he knew how much the patients and the staff looked forward to the delicious treats. After the unfortunate shutdown, when Brigadier Gertrude and Cary met, she would say, “Cary, you don’t cry over spilled milk, you move on.” Cary was amazed by her positive attitude and willingness to continue serving at the hospital despite the circumstances. Brigadier Gertrude instead graciously asked, “What else can we help with at the hospital? There must be something else we can do.” There was a booklet laying on his desk of different tasks that needed to be done, and Brigadier Gertrude insisted, “Let me take this booklet home and read through it.”

A few days later, Brigadier Gertrude returned and showed Cary a task she and her volunteers could assist with moving forward. They helped spinal cord injury patients fill out their menus for the day, continuing to serve out of love in their new volunteer role.

A few months later, during the busy Christmas season, Cary noticed Brigadier Gertrude seemed a little quieter than usual. He asked her if everything was okay. She replied, “Cary, I’m a little concerned because the Angel Tree program doesn’t seem to be doing so well this year.”

Cary suggested, “How about we put up a Christmas tree in the hospital and add the Angel Tree tags on it?”

Brigadier Gertrude lit up like her own Christmas tree with such joy asking, “You would let us do that, Cary?”

“Absolutely, and I know we probably have one in the storage closet. Let’s go find it and you can put it up as soon as you would like.” Brigadier Gertrude and her volunteer ladies didn’t waste any time. Later that day, they came back and decorated the tree and put all the Angel Tree tags on it. An hour later, she returned to find that every single tag was taken! The staff inside the V.A. hospital had not forgotten her acts of kindness, her acts of service, her attitude when things didn’t seem to go her way, and her attributes mimicking those of Christ.

____________

In 2000, the Purdue Center of Hope was opened, named in honor of Brigadier Gertrude Purdue. Now the largest provider of shelter and addiction recovery services for women with children in Memphis and the Mid-South, the Purdue Center of Hope celebrated its 25th anniversary in August 2025. To celebrate, the staff made doughnuts to commemorate the legacy of Order of the Founder Brigadier Gertrude Purdue and the countless lives she touched through her service and love.

How amazing God works! Seeds planted over 45 years ago have blossomed into a beautiful garden where the sweet aroma of Christ lingers.

Mary D. Wasson is the director of development for Memphis Area Command.