The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB), along with the University of North Texas at Dallas and Tom Thumb / Albertsons, will provide nourishing food to community members in need through a public event on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022. The public holiday food distribution will take place at the UNT Dallas Campus located at 7300 University Hills Blvd. in Southern Dallas from 9 a.m. to noon. Each family will receive approximately 60 lbs. of fresh groceries at the mobile food distribution, including a Thanksgiving turkey for the first 250 families, thanks to Tom Thumb / Albertsons.
The food distribution is one of more than 50 holiday food distributions supported by the NTFB during the month of November to provide food to the nearly 700,000 people facing hunger across the NTFB’s 13-county service territory. This includes more than 250,000 children, or one in every five in the region, giving the NTFB service area the 4th highest level of food-insecure children in the country.
“Tom Thumb / Albertsons and UNT Dallas are joining forces with the North Texas Food Bank to mobilize real change in providing food and hope for our neighbors. Our partners in this initiative operate with the heart of those we serve in mind and I am grateful for their commitment,” said Trisha Cunningham, President and CEO of the North Texas Food Bank. “As we work to address the growing issues of hunger and poverty in our community, we look for partners like these who stand ready to address this complex problem. Their generosity and initiative help advance our mission of bridging the hunger gap in North Texas during this critical time and beyond.”
A long-time partner of the NTFB, Tom Thumb / Albertsons is committed to reducing food insecurity at the local level through its Recipe for Change initiative. As part of this platform, it has raised more than $200 million to ensure neighbors have the nutrition needed to thrive. The company donates millions of pounds of food each year to local food banks, pantries and other agencies on the frontlines in the fight against hunger.
“We are pleased to collaborate with the North Texas Food Bank and UNT Dallas in providing turkeys to help ease the financial burden that the holidays present for many families,” said Christy Lara, Tom Thumb / Albertsons Director of Public Relations. “We are committed to addressing hunger in the communities where we live and serve and helping feed our neighbors in need by championing innovative programs and partnerships to help break the cycle of hunger.”
Mobile distribution participants do not have to register to pick up food but are required to have a vehicle unless otherwise specified. The food is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Although no identification is required, the participants will be asked to share their name along with the size of their family and provide a zip code where their family resides to receive food. In addition, educational activity booklets on food nutrition will be available for children in Spanish and English.
Since the onset of the pandemic, UNT Dallas has served as a critical partner of the North Texas Food Bank, regularly hosting numerous mobile pantry distributions on campus alongside NTFB. Each month UNT Dallas hosts a free, drive-thru food distribution to provide relief to students and the southern Dallas community members in need of support.
“UNT Dallas is proud to join the North Texas Food Bank and Tom Thumb/Albertson’s to serve our community by providing holiday food on our campus,” said UNT Dallas President Bob Mong. “We are honored to be part of this team effort to help put food on our neighbors’ tables this holiday season.”
“The holiday season can be especially difficult for those who are already struggling to make ends meet each month. With inflated food, gas and housing costs, our neighbors in every zip code are facing increasingly difficult choices every day – deciding whether to purchase groceries or pay for other necessities such as gas, medicine or utilities,” Cunningham said. “During the holiday season, food doesn’t just provide nourishment, it is a way for people to connect, celebrate and spend time with loved ones. So, when it is missing, it leaves a hole bigger than hunger itself. The North Texas Food Bank and our feeding partners don’t just want to help provide necessities during the holiday season – together we’re helping people connect with the ones they love.”
For more information on the 50+ holiday food distributions taking place in North Texas throughout November go to ntfb.org/holidaydistributions. Interested individuals are encouraged to check the website regularly for updates to the schedule and to choose food distributions within the county they live. The food is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis and some of the distributing food pantries may ask for proof of residency to ensure they are distributing the food to residents who live in the counties they serve.
In addition to the holiday distributions, neighbors seeking food assistance can get access to food in several ways. They can find mobile food distributions across North Texas at https://ntfb.org/mobile-pantry/ or they can visit https://ntfb.org/our-programs/get-food-assistance/find-a-food-pantry/ to find a food pantry nearby that provides food and often other services. Neighbors can also contact the North Texas Food Bank to learn more about Senior Programs and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
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