Thank You for Supporting Neighbors like James

James visits a North Texas Food Bank senior food box distribution each month.

James rarely shows up anywhere empty handed. Whether it’s a doctor’s visit, a North Texas Food Bank senior food box distribution event or a visit with friends, the Sherman resident almost always has a hand-carved gift to share. “I like to make people smile,” he says, pulling out a bag of wooden birds and angels he whittled with an Exacto knife.

James spent more than 30 years repairing streets and operating heavy machinery for the City of Sherman. “I enjoyed it for a while until I couldn’t do it anymore,” says James, who uses a walker and relies on oxygen. James receives disability benefits but says after paying for rent, utilities and other expenses, there’s not a lot left for groceries. He qualified to receive a Commodity Supplemental Food Program box for seniors three years ago and says he’s grateful for the monthly provision. “We’re glad to get this food,” James says. “We couldn’t get all this with the money we have.”

Thanks to generous supporters like you, James and his stepson don’t have to worry about where their next meal will come from. Instead, James can enjoy retirement by continuing his decades-long hobby of woodworking. On days where he has no appointments, James likes to settle into a chair, turn on his favorite Western and carve something special for the next person he’ll see. “I like being able to give and make people happy,” he says.

James even crafted several carvings as a ‘thank you’ for NTFB donors this holiday season.