Linda Cotton arrived at Midwest Food Bank of Texas in Haltom City bright and early Wednesday morning to wait for the arrival of a semitrailer truck hauling 33,000 pounds of food from Utah.
Once the truck arrived, volunteers from Midwest Food Bank of Texas started wheeling out pallets of boxes filled with shelf staples like corn, rice and peanut butter — with a label that said distributed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Brigham Young University, a school founded by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will play against Texas Christian University’s football team on Oct. 14. The two church-founded schools haven’t played on Fort Worth turf since 2010. Ahead of the game, BYU alumni and members of the Church organized charitable efforts for their game-day’s host city.
“I think this kind of outreach is amazing,” Cotton said. “We were just super grateful that the Church was able or willing to make a donation like this.”
The Euless resident is an alumna of BYU and president of Action Alliance International, an organization focused on helping refugees resettle into the U.S. Cotton hopes that the food donated at Midwest Food Bank will be given to local organizations that help refugees, she said.
Midwest Food Bank of Texas is a faith-based organization that receives and then distributes food in bulk to other organizations in the state and areas of Oklahoma and Louisiana free of charge.
“We’re operating beyond the borders of Texas. So we’ve got a pretty wide range, the bulk of that is going to be in the DFW area,” said Gareth Keown, executive director of the food bank.
Also in the warehouse was Janae Baird, the Fort Worth communications director for the Church. Working with food pantries like Midwest aligns with her faith, she said.
“I’m really trying to serve in the way that Christ would serve. And so loving and serving in my immediate community with these organizations is really a reflection of the fact that I’m trying to give as Jesus gives.”
Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org or on Twitter @marissaygreene.
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