North Texas Food Bank Recognizes Outstanding Feeding Partners
The North Texas Food Bank is honored to work alongside more than 400 food pantries and other community organizations in its Feeding Network in the fight against hunger in North Texas. Across 13 counties, these organizations help their neighbors access food and other critical resources every day with compassion, dignity and kindness.
NTFB recently recognized top partner agencies at its Partner Agency Summit in downtown Dallas, which was sponsored by UnitedHealthcare. The awards were presented to seven organizations based on their accomplishments of the last year. Please join us in celebrating the honorees, nominees and all our partners who are dedicated to creating a healthy and hunger free North Texas.
Foundational Partner of the Year: Brighter Tomorrows, Inc
Irving-based Brighter Tomorrows is engaged with the North Texas Food Bank through its support of survivors of domestic violence and their families. Over the last year they have consistently filled beds and at times had to turn clients to temporary housing in hotels, but they work tirelessly to place their clients in a safe space. Brighter Tomorrows was the recipient of an NTFB “Be Our Guest” grant in our last fiscal year to support its broad goals to provide dignity to those they serve.
Impact Partner of the Year: Kaufman Christian Help Center
Kaufman Christian Help Center is a pillar in the Kaufman community and offers help to the community through programs such as a food pantry, mobile pantry, Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and many other programs. Kaufman Christian is a consistent partner to NTFB, always striving to add and increase programs and services in the Kaufman area.
Transformational Partner of the Year: Seven Loaves Food Pantry
The Storehouse of Collin County’s Seven Loaves Food Pantry has continued to creatively meet the needs of the Plano community. Every week, the pantry is serving a high immigrant population with dignity and respect. To support meeting the need, they have shifted from a choice pantry in a small space, to a hybrid model where all families feel welcomed. They have recently begun Project Hope, a referral and resource program for its neighbors, as well as The Academy, an educational program that teaches language, job and life skills.
Progressive Partner of the Year: Community Missionary Baptist Church
Consistently looking for partnerships to help its neighbors, Community Missionary Baptist was the first partner out of NTFB’s mobile pantry progressive partners to increase to two distributions a month. It is well structured and efficient in operations and its sites are available to multi-area community and civic-minded programs as volunteer opportunities. Following an apartment fire in Oak Cliff that left many people temporarily unhoused, the organization was instrumental in helping to secure a site and volunteers to execute a pop-up mobile distribution that distributed 28,000 meals within 1 mile of the affected apartment complex with 24 hours of notice.
Hope for Tomorrow Award: Catholic Charities Dallas
While NTFB has had many wonderful partners willing to provide insight as we learn and shape strategy within the Hope for Tomorrow space, Catholic Charities of Dallas has been particularly generous. Within the Learn2Earn Workforce Development pilot with Dallas College, its feedback has been transparent and invaluable in improving processes. Catholic Charities is invested in providing holistic services to the community. The agency is willing to take on new challenges to better or more fully address the needs of individuals. Its dedication to providing food and other vital services to underserved groups including, but not limited to, immigrants, seniors, disaster victims, and the un- and under-employed is commendable.
Hunger Hero Retail Agency of the Year: Amazing Grace Food Pantry
Amazing Grace Food Pantry and its team go above and beyond each year to ensure that their local neighbors in the Wylie area have access to a variety of choices through their demanding work and dedication to the Retail Program. The team truly builds relationships with their retail stores and is always willing to go the extra mile for their partners. Amazing Grace is constantly looking for ways to improve its program and increase donations. The NTFB Retail Team appreciates the relationship that Amazing Grace has with both our team and its donors. (Was not present for award)
Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) Agency of the Year: Masterkey Ministries in Sherman
Masterkey Ministries is incredibly involved in making sure that it provides every avenue they possibly can so that no family is at risk of hunger. It has partnered with the NTFB in our CSFP drive-thru distribution, our Door Dash CSFP distribution, and the NTFB mobile pantry program. The agency was also involved with retail stores and with other faith-based organizations to help the community.
The NTFB’s two redistribution organizations, Crossroads Community Services and Sharing Life, also recognized an outstanding partner agency from their networks. Crossroads recognized as its Community Impact Award recipients: Cedar Hill Shares; Harmony Community Development Corp; Chocolate MINT Foundation; Royal Haven Baptist Church; Mission Oak Cliff and Kids Cove Community Outreach. Sharing Life honored Empowering the Masses as its Partner of the Year.