Celebrating 40 Years of Service

1981: The Articles of Incorporation for North Texas Area Food Bank are created by Jo Curtis, Lorraine Griffin Kircher, and Liz Minyard and filed with the Office of Secretary of State of Texas as a Nonprofit Corporation.

1982: Jo Curtis, Kathryn Hall, Lorraine Griffin Kircher and Liz Minyard established, the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) to address the critical issue of hunger in our community by distributing donations of surplus food and grocery products through a network of charitable organizations.

1983: The Texas Legislature passed the Good Faith Donor Act, protecting donors from liability of donations or donated products, increasing retail donations to NTFB.

1983: President Ronald Reagan visits NTFB and meets with Kathryn Hall and NTFB General Manager, Douglas Nelson. Reagan toured the warehouse and addressed members of the NTFB supervisory board, guests, and the media.

1986: Feeding Texas was established to leverage statewide resources to mitigate and prevent hunger in Texas as a network of all food banks in the state.

1987: As NTFB grew in its first years, the organization needed additional warehouse space or turn down donated nutritious food. The Perot Foundation purchase a warehouse, located at Cockrell Hill in Dallas, and provided it to NTFB rent-free.

1996: NTFB partnered with Share Our Strength to become one of the first Food Banks in the nation to offer nutritional education to low-income families. NTFB now has more than 1,100 low-income participants each year participating in nutrition educational programs.

1994: Louise Gartner founded the Charitable Produce Center for NTFB. The Center’s mission focused on the quality of diets of North Texans at risk of hunger combined with the reality of produce waste.

1997: The first annual DFW Restaurant Week is held in Dallas. A percentage of every meal goes to support local charities, including NTFB.

1997: NTFB launched a partnership with the Dallas Theater Center and its annual performances of A Christmas Carol to generate funds and awareness for hunger.

1998: NTFB hosted its first annual Empty Bowls fundraiser. Empty Bowls was created by John and Darlene Williams, two local artists passionate about using their talent to end hunger.

2001: NTFB was awarded “Food Bank of the Year” by Feeding America – the top honor a food bank can receive.

2004: NTFB launched the Food 4 Kids program which currently serves up to 11,000 chronically hungry children each week. The first annual Taste of the Cowboys is hosted, it has raised $4 million to benefit NTFB Child Programs.

2006: Mass Care Task Force (MCTF) was founded in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. MCTF is a partnership between the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, VolunteerNow, and NTFB.

2008: NTFB established the Retail Store Donation Program. This effort rescues food from grocers and distributes it to hungry neighbors via NTFB’s partnerships with local food pantries.

2008: NTFB expanded service substantially to combat hunger related to the Great Recession via the Close the Gap campaign. To provide access to 50 million meals annually by 2011, Close the Gap aimed to curb the meal gap that existed during that time.

2010: The Community Partner Interviewer Project was added to the USDA Social Services Outreach Grant, allowing approved Feeding Texas Outreach Staff to perform interviews for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

2010: Communities Foundation of Texas established the first North Texas Giving Day.

2011: NTFB launched a hub-and-spoke model with Crossroads Community Services and Sharing Life Community Outreach to distribute food to local organizations who provide it directly to hungry neighbors.

2013: The Living, Investing, Feeding, Engaging (LIFE) Council is started by NTFB founder Liz Minyard and NTFB Board Chair Ray Hemmig to continue engagement and NTFB volunteerism after board service.

2013: The First Annual Plano Peanut Butter Drive was initiated by then Plano Mayor, Harry LaRosiliere.

2013: NTFB established its first Partner Agency Summit. The event is held annually and allows NTFB agencies to network, learn, and be recognized for their hard work.

2015: NTFB updated its brand identity with a new logo. 

2015: NTFB moved its administrative offices to the Dallas Farmers Market.

2016: The Mobile Pantry Program launched, delivering nutritious food and fresh produce directly to communities with high needs. In its first year, the Mobile Pantry Program distributed more than 603,000 pounds of food. In FY21, it distributed 11.7 million pounds of food to hungry neighbors.

2017: HungerMitao is formed. The volunteer-driven grassroots movement is focused on raising awareness about hunger in the USA, improving community engagement, as well as channeling resources and contributions of the Indian American community to fight hunger.

2017: NTFB publicly launched the Stop Hunger, Build Hope Capital Campaign to help fund a new Northern Distribution Center and other initiatives under new CEO, Trisha Cunningham. The campaign concluded in January 2018 and became the largest social service campaign in North Texas history.

Once your food drive has wrapped up, you can drop off at our H-E-B Canned Food Drop-Off at Perot Family Campus. No appointment is necessary. Address: 3677 Mapleshade Ln. Plano, TX 75075 Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday from 8:30AM to 4:30 PM Saturdays from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM NTFB can arrange a pick up your donation if your food drive collected at least 2,000 lbs or 2,500 items. If your drive meet this minimum, we will assist with a pick up from any location within our 13 county service area: Collin, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis, Fannin, Grayson, Hopkins, Hunt, Kaufman, Lamar, Navarro, and Rockwall. If you cannot drop off and collected less than 2,500 items, we will work with you to ensure your generous donation makes it to our hungry neighbors. Please contact NTFB Canned Food Drive Team by emailing cfd@ntfb.org or call 214-270-1996.

2019: NTFB launched the Kernel program, an effort to recruit and retain more regular volunteers who assist with production lines, projects and special events.

2020: The COVID-19 Pandemic began in the United States and takes a drastic toll on families and individuals across North Texas, and the world. It was estimated that 40% of NTFB’s clients at the onset of the pandemic were new to charitable food assistance.

2020: NTFB Board Chair Anurag Jain helped create Get Shift Done in collaboration with the Communities Foundation of Texas, allowing displaced service industry workers to earn wages. NTFB also brought in the National Guard to assit in warehouse and distribution efforts.

2020: NTFB and the City of Dallas dedicated the street in front of NTFB’s administrative headquarters in the Dallas Farmers Market to former CEO Jan Pruitt by renaming it Jan Pruitt Way.

2022: NTFB celebrates 40 years of providing nutritious meals to hungry North Texans by launching the Nourish North Texas campaign, a strategic plan that aims to provide Food for Today and Hope for Tomorrow for the neighbors it serves.