Since the opening of the Vickery Meadow Food Pantry in 2009, the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) has been our valued partner providing us with over 90% of the food items that are given to our neighbors who live in the greater Vickery Meadow area of Dallas, Texas.
Their support extends well beyond providing food items. NTFB wants to better serve their agency partners like the Vickery Meadow Food Pantry through education in food handling and civil rights requirements, by communication of community opportunities such as free eye exams or free internet, and by providing grants for equipment or special projects.
How does it work? NTFB assigns a Community Partner Specialist to help us navigate the complexities of food ordering, delivery, warehousing and food safety. Our specialist is our designated insider, mentor, counselor and teacher. Through the help of the specialist, we learn of nuances in the ordering process, find out about free goods, and communicate with other agencies about current concerns and ways to resolve them through regular monthly meetings.
The Vickery Meadow Food Pantry is pleased to have been the recipient of two grants from the North Texas Food Bank. In 2021, we received our first grant from the NTFB Byrne Foundation for a commercial freezer. In May of 2022, we received our second grant for a commercial refrigerator and financial support for the development of our website. Their grants have allowed us to increase the number of neighbors we serve and provide them with higher quality food items because we now have the refrigeration and freezer storage available for non-shelf stable food items.
Thanks to North Texas Food Bank’s support, we can easily communicate our services, our hours of operation and special opportunities for our neighbors through the website, which is available 24/7. North Texas Food Bank is all about facilitating communication with their agency partners whether that be through our specialist, the help desk, or monthly zoom calls. And, we hope to do the same for our neighbors with the website.
The Vickery Meadow Food Pantry could not operate without the help of the North Texas Food Bank. We are very grateful for their support in helping us nourish the bodies of our neighbors with nutritious food items and nourish their lives with the communication of education and medical opportunities. Together we can help our neighbors live healthier lives.