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Tarrant Area Food Bank receives $4,170 donation from Woodforest Charitable Foundation.

22-May, 2012

Tarrant Area Food Bank receives $4,170 donation from Woodforest Charitable Foundation.

Photo Caption:Front Row from Left to Right – Jason Stockton, Woodforest National Bank Regional Manager; Laura Besse, North Texas Food Bank Corporate Engagement Manager; Kristie Gibson, Tarrant Area Food Bank Donor Relations Director; Jeremy Horton, Woodforest Charitable Foundation Assistant Director; Kim Marling, Woodforest Charitable Foundation Executive Director. Behind – 35 Woodforest National Bank Branch Managers from Dallas area.

FORT WORTH, TX – Woodforest Charitable Foundation donates $4,170 to Tarrant Area Food Bank. 

Founded in 1981, Tarrant Area Food Bank is the distribution hub of a 13-county network of hunger-relief charities and social services centers.  As a central clearinghouse for donated food and groceries, the Food Bank receives fresh, frozen and nonperishable food donated by the food industry and the community. They distribute this product from a 69,000 square-foot warehouse in Fort Worth to 300 partner agencies.

Recently, the Food Bank started offering nutrition education to adults, seniors and families receiving food assistance, three different feeding programs for children, free culinary job training for low-income adults and community gardening education and technical assistance.  In addition, they provide assistance to individuals and families in applying for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/Food Stamps) and related benefits.

Tarrant Area Food Bank collaborates with local schools to offer its BackPack for Kids program. This program is placed at schools where 80% or more of the students are eligible for free and reduced-cost meals. The schools identify the economically disadvantaged students, and Tarrant Area Food Bank provides the backpacks filled with food that children can easily access without the help of adults. At the end of the school week, children take home food for themselves and their school-aged siblings.

Kids Cafés serve children at high risk of hunger by providing prepared meals in environments that are safe, accessible and convenient. Tarrant Area Food Bank establishes Kids Cafés in neighborhoods where at least 70% of children qualify for the national free and reduced-price school lunch program. The nonprofit organizations hosting the cafés offer structured activities such as tutoring, mentoring, life skills and physical recreation after school or on weekends. For each café the Food Bank supplies food and reimburses the host agency for each meal served.

“Your support truly makes a difference. Thank you for helping meet the increasing hunger relief needs of our community,” said Bo Soderbergh, Executive Director of Tarrant Area Food Bank.

For more information on Woodforest Charitable Foundation’s contributions to this organization, please contact this agency directly at (817) 332-9177 or visit www.tafb.org.

The Woodforest Charitable Foundation was created by Woodforest National Bank in 2005 as a direct result of its desire to support and invest in the communities in which it serves.  The Foundation is creating a legacy of commitment to those in need, enriching lives and communities through dedicated leadership and faithful administration by providing funding to qualifying 501(c) (3) charities. For additional information regarding The Woodforest Charitable Foundation, call (832) 375-CARE (2273) or visit the foundation’s website at www.woodforestcharitablefoundation.org.

Celebrating 32 years of service and ranked among the top earning banks in the United States, the Woodforest family of banks currently has assets of approximately $3.7 billion and services more than 1 million customers with branches in excess of 780 throughout 17 states:  Texas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.  For information about Woodforest National Bank, please call k832-375-2000 or visit the bank’s website at www.woodforest.com.