NEWS ARCHIVE 2010

Reports from the Food Bank

Walmart, parenting couples, individuals receive special awards at receptionhonoring all food bank volunteers

April 22, 2010 — Tarrant Area Food Bank today honored its 5,000 volunteers and presented awards for exceptional volunteerism. (Details are in the news release, Local people, businesses to be named outstanding food bank volunteers.)

Bill Johnson (far left), immediate past president of the Food Bank's Board of Directors, was honored with the Debby Brown Volunteer of the Year award presented by Debby Brown (second from left).  Stacy Posey (second from right) received on behalf of all Breakfast with the Stars event committee members the Pattie Verkamp Volunteer Fundraising Award. Larry Anfin, past board member, attended the event in support of his fellow volunteers.

(RIGHT) Jerry Peacock (center) from Walmart, accepted on behalf of all Walmart employees in Tarrant Area Food Bank's service area the Pat Mohler Award, named for the Food Bank's founding executive director. With him are Ann Ware Farmer, president of the Food Bank's board of directors and Bo Soderbergh, the Food Bank's executive director.

(LEFT) Bob Presley was honored with the Ima Strain Volunteer Award. He is shown here with Ima Strain, who still volunteers at the Food Bank.

Details about the honorees' service to Tarrant Area Food Bank are in the news release, Local people, businesses to be named outstanding food bank volunteers.

TCU coach selects Tarrant Area Food Bank for charitable gift

Donation caps TCU Hunger Week benefiting the food bank

FORT WORTH (April 14, 2010) – As part of receiving the 2009 Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year Award, TCU’s Gary Patterson selected the Tarrant Area Food Bank in Fort Worth as his chosen charity to receive a donation of $10,000.

Patterson made the announcement Saturday night in front of over 800 people at the Horned Frogs’ team banquet in the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. Representatives from the Bobby Dodd Foundation were on hand as Patterson presented the check to Tarrant Area Food Bank Director of Business Development Mary Kathryn Anderson.

The donation will benefit Tarrant Area Food Bank’s BackPacks for Kids weekend feeding program for school-aged children.

“We cannot express our gratitude enough for this extremely generous gift from Coach Gary Patterson and his wife Kelsey,” said Bo Soderbergh, executive director of Tarrant Area Food Bank and TCU alum. “It is a wonderful way to cap off TCU’s 28th annual Hunger Week that has benefited the food bank.”

Patterson received the Bobby Dodd Award for a successful football season while also stressing the importance of academic excellence, outstanding leadership, strong character and high integrity.

He led TCU to the Mountain West Conference championship, a No. 6 national ranking and its first BCS appearance. The Horned Frogs posted their first undefeated regular season since 1938 and their first 12-win campaign since 1935.

The Bobby Dodd award was established in 1976 to honor the NCAA Division 1 football coach whose program represents the highest ideals on and off the field.

BACKPACKS FOR KIDS
This feeding program by Tarrant Area Food Bank supplies backpacks filled with nutritious child-friendly, non-perishable food to students and their siblings who are at high risk of hunger on the weekends. Currently, programs are in 16 schools in three counties serving an average of 1,600 children per week during the school year.

Long John Silver's with Sesame Street Live delivers $20,250

for two regional food banks

MARCH 30, 2010 — Long John Silver's CEO Jim Bodenstedt and his corporate team presented Tarrant Area Food Bank and North Texas Food Bank with a check for $20,250 today. That amount equates to 81,000 meals.

The funds were raised beginning in January by Fort Worth and Dallas Long John Silver's restaurants that offered a FREE Sesame Street Live coloring and activity book for a $1 donation. 

This was the second consecutive year that the Long John Silver's franchise group, MUY Brands, LLC, had sponsored the Sesame Street Live coloring book donation campaign.  Last year's campaign raised the equivalent of 80,000 meals. 

Pictured above, left to right, are Bo Soderbergh, Tarrant Area Food Bank executive director; Jan Pruitt, president and CEO, North Texas Food Bank; and Jim Bodenstedt, CEO, MUY Brands, LLC.

Corporate “Food Bank Throw-Down” helps regional food banks

March 2010

IRVING, TX – What began with a simple idea to help local children and families in need mushroomed into an all-out collection effort that yielded more than $30,000 and food for Tarrant Area Food Bank and North Texas Food Bank. Tarrant Area Food Bank received $16,387 and 18 tons (36,160 pounds) of nonperishable food.

Lisa Davis, director of operations for Specialized Association Services based in Irving, heard several news reports detailing shortages and issues that food banks are currently facing. “Just as individuals are struggling, so are many of the great charitable organizations that support our community,” Davis explained.

Compelled to do something to assist the food banks in North Texas, she contacted other corporate managers in the office building where SAS is located. “We have a bit of a competitive streak among the tenants, and our people have always responded well to challenges,” Davis adds.

This cooperative effort that ran from February 14 through March 12, 2010 was dubbed “The Food Bank Throw-Down Challenge.” Every employee who brought designated food items each week was allowed to dress casually the following week. The final prize, which was awarded to the winning company, is a special meal that employees of the other competing companies will prepare and serve.

“We all enjoyed the friendly competition and the challenge, and had a lot of fun with the contest along the way,” says Scott Letier, managing director of JFO Group. “The opportunity to assist others who may have lost their jobs or may be struggling has been very rewarding.”

In addition to Specialized Association Services and the JFO Group, other businesses that participated in the Food Bank Throw-Down included Coach-Net, NMC and Netinc.

Texas Food Bank Network Gets 'Beefed' Up *

January 2010

Meat products are extremely limited at food banks. To increase the supply, a Dallas-Fort Worth rancher and the Texas Food Bank Network have started a new program to increase the supply.

Businessman and rancher Jerry King launched “Beefing Up Texas Food Banks” with a donation of more than 5,000 pounds of certified Texas longhorn beef to Tarrant Area Food Bank in Fort Worth and to North Texas Food Bank in Dallas.

“With winter approaching and the cost of maintaining the heard rising, I wanted to help our community instead of just selling the head at the sale barn,” said King. “This ground beef will help feed thousands of people.” King challenged others in the industry: “If every Texas cattle breeder, producer, rancher and feed lot owner would commit to donate just one head of cattle every year, just imagine how many nutritious meals we could feed our hungry,” he said. Since Mr. King’s donation, two other Texas longhorn producers have also contributed to the “Beefing Up Texas Food Banks” program. When a breeder donates the livestock and the processing, the meat is then packaged into 2-pound chubs for distribution to those in need. Every 1,000 pounds of ground beef can feed 4,000 people. With support from the Texas Department of
		Businessman and rancher Jerry King (left) andTarrant Area Food Bank's food solicitor, Jim Macphearson, hold a 2-pound chub from the longhorn beef King donated.