North Texas Food Bank Remembers Lonnie Pollock
The former Pollock President and CEO was a committed NTFB supporter.
Lawrence “Lonnie” S. Pollock III will be remembered as a dedicated hunger fighter who supported the North Texas Food Bank personally and through his role as CEO of Pollock. He passed away February 6 at the age of 69.
“One of the reasons he focused on the North Texas Food Bank and ensuring that everyone has access to food was that he knew even some of his employees had situations come up where they needed assistance,” says Erin Fincher, NTFB Senior Director of Foundation Giving & Strategic Initiatives. “For him, knowing that he could help provide a safe place for them to receive food in those times was so important.”
Lonnie joined his family business, Pollock Paper Distributors, after earning a degree at the University of Texas and became President & CEO in 1991, leading the company until its 100th anniversary in 2018, when it was sold (it is now Pollock Orora).
The company and its Pollock Foundation celebrated that 100th anniversary with a $600,000 gift to NTFB’s Stop Hunger, Build Hope capital campaign. The gift was honored in 2018 when NTFB named its Cockrell Hill location in Dallas “The Pollock Campus.”
Lonnie said at the time, “We are dedicated to giving back to the communities that we operate in, and we strive to make a significant impact on the lives of people in need.”
The Pollock Campus, which is NTFB’s former headquarters, now houses Crossroads Community Services, which along with supporting neighbors through a pantry and other services, acts as an NTFB redistribution hub for other partner pantries in and around Southern Dallas.
Lonnie continued investing in NTFB in the years that followed, pledging $500,000 to NTFB’s Feeding North Texas Foundation endowment fund in recent years through the Pollock Foundation.
In addition to giving financially, Lonnie emphasized the importance of time by hosting a company day of service each year where associates would pack and box food for their neighbors facing hunger. He was also a proud supporter of NTFB events, with Pollock sponsoring several Empty Bowls, Taste of the Cowboys and Harvest fundraising events.
He is survived by his children: Kimberly Wolff (and husband Todd), Tracy Pollock and Lawrence S. Pollock IV (and wife Kaitlyn), as well as six grandchildren, his sister Carolyn, his brother Richard.
Lonnie was dedicated to several local philanthropic organizations, and in lieu of flowers, asked for donations to the North Texas Food Bank or The Lawrence S. Pollock Jr. Center for Intestinal Cancer Research at UT Southwestern. Find his full obituary here.