By Jennifer Whitlock
Field Editor
Through participation in the Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) Helping Hands co-op contribution program, Denton County Farm Bureau (CFB) was able to make a sizeable donation to Denton Community Food Center.
“We love to participate through these cooperative contribution programs because we can give even more back to our communities,” Denton CFB President Tommy Calvert said. “We gave some money last year through Farm Bureau’s Feeding Texas program, so this is our second year to be able to give generously, thanks to the state’s matching donation.”
Calvert and fellow board member Brad Fenley presented the non-profit organization with a $2,250 check in early March.
Founded in 1974, the Denton Community Food Center serves Denton and 21 other cities in northern Denton County. Despite being the ninth-most populous county in Texas, many of Denton County’s numerous rural residents struggle to reach food distribution centers in the city of Denton or the nearby Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
Calvert noted the food bank was experiencing a sharp increase in demand after Winter Storm Uri.
“After the storm, they needed all the help they could get,” he said. “People were really hurting after that big cold spell.”
Since the COVID-19 pandemic brought so many changes to the way organizations operate, it feels good to be able to give back to the community in other ways, he said.
“Denton CFB normally hosts a Food Connection Day where we host breakfast at a local restaurant, and people only pay the farmer’s share of the cost of their meal. Then, we encourage them to donate food and funds to area 4-H and FFA clubs. We award prizes to the clubs who gather the most donations and have a little contest to give money back to their clubs to sponsor some of their activities, and it’s always a great event,” Calvert said. “Last year, we gave almost 3,000 pounds of food to the food center, and it was hard to have to tell them and the student clubs that we were going to have to postpone the event this year. This was a really nice way to still be able to give to the food center despite COVID-19 restrictions.”