North Texas Food Bank Founding Supporters Share of Their Passion to Serve
Liz Minyard, Cory Turner and John Votava spoke about their drive to fight hunger during NTFB’s Full Plate Society Legacy Luncheon.
NTFB Founder Liz Minyard speaks during the Full Plate Society Luncheon panel, moderated by NTFB Chief External Affairs Officer Erica Yaeger.
We never know what small actions or decisions might lead us to a greater purpose.
That was the lesson panelists Liz Minyard, Cory Turner and John Votava shared during the North Texas Food Bank’s third annual Full Plate Society Legacy Luncheon, held February 3 at Park City Club in Dallas.
For NTFB founder Liz Minyard, it was the experience of seeing a young boy come up a dollar short while checking out at one her family’s Minyard Food Stores that put her on the path to fighting hunger. Her first reaction was to help the young boy, and she says she was shocked when no one stepped forward to offer the dollar. After a few moments, she reached into her purse and handed him the money herself.
The action was one her family did not approve of. They couldn’t give a dollar to everyone, after all. But she continued to stand on the side of helping people—ultimately joining Jo Curtis, Ambassador Kathryn Hall and Lorraine Griffin Kircher in founding the North Texas Food Bank in 1982.
For John Votava, director of corporate affairs for Kroger, finding purpose at work came through taking a role that aligns with his personal values. Kroger, one of NTFB’s founding supporters, has long provided NTFB with gifts of food, funds and time. The donations, including 4.6 million meals through food and funds in just the last fiscal year alone, are part of Kroger’s goal to “feed the human spirit” by supporting neighbors in the communities in which they operate.
John said that ensuring people, especially children, are nourished, is something he also thinks about when it comes to his own legacy. Since joining Kroger in 2018, he said he has found a lot of meaning in leading the grocer’s community support work in North Texas.
Cory Turner, whose grandmother Jo Curtis worked with Liz to found NTFB, shared that he has been inspired to get involved with fighting hunger both because of his grandmother’s legacy and because of his own experience with food insecurity.
He and his brother were raised by a single mom, and Cory said that in hindsight, he realizes their refrigerator was often empty and that his mom skipped meals to ensure her sons could eat. Feeling responsible as the oldest child, Cory said he also would eat less if it meant his brother would have enough. He remembers visiting NTFB’s original location on Cockrell Hill as a young boy while in North Texas for the weekend to see his grandmother and being sent home with food to help his mom.
John Votava, Cory Turner and Liz Minyard speak during the Full Plate Society Luncheon panel.
Fast forward and Cory had the chance to volunteer at NTFB through his job in 2011. He said he felt a deep connection to the important work taking place at the Food Bank as well as to his grandmother. He’s since been involved as a leader with NTFB’s Peanut Butter Drive and as a volunteer.
“Volunteering at the Food Bank evokes strong emotions, as I know my grandmother would take great pride in this organization’s impact,” he said.
Along with listening to the panel, the luncheon provided a chance for Full Plate Society members to hear from NTFB Chief External Affairs Officer Erica Yaeger about the state of hunger in North Texas and about the role they are playing in fighting hunger by making the commitment of a legacy gift to NTFB.
If you’d like to learn more about how to get involved as a legacy supporter, including by adding NTFB to your will or estate plan, please email erinf@ntfb.org.
Erin Fincher, NTFB Senior Director, Foundation Giving & Strategic Initiatives, speaks about legacy giving.
