Pecan Square’s New Partner to Fight Hunger in North Texas
The Hillwood Communities team places a high value on giving back to the communities we serve. We believe that a big part of community building means working together for a better world. To this end, each of our lifestyle communities is matched with a philanthropic partner. Then, ongoing volunteer efforts in the community are planned and conducted to benefit the chosen charitable organization.
Several Hillwood Communities, including Pecan Square by Hillwood in Northlake, TX, have had an enormously successful partnership with the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB). Pecan Square has provided, in donations of cash and non-perishable foods, the equivalent of more than 50,000 meals to the NTFB over the past three years.
“One out of every five kids in North Texas is being affected by food insecurity,” said Joe Bass, Hillwood executive vice president, in an interview with The Dallas Morning News. “Many are going to school hungry. It’s up to all of us to close the hunger gap in North Texas.”
Hillwood and the Perot family have been instrumental in the fight against hunger, providing free development management services for the NTFB‘s distribution center in Plano (now named for the Perot family), as well as a $12 million gift; another $10 million last year to fund a permanent endowment, and $500,000 for immediate use. Hillwood has also secured commitments from several of its brand-new communities to partner with NTFB.
A New Partnership with the Tarrant Area Food Bank
Food insecurity is growing: The NTFB is now providing 12 million+ meals every month, a 42% jump over 2019. To service the escalating needs of their 13-county region, the North Texas Food Bank strategized with the Tarrant Area Food Bank (TAFB) and came up with a solution: serving people by zip code. Since Pecan Square is in the zip code served by the TAFB, we’ll now partner with them to fight hunger in North Texas.
Founded in 1982, The Tarrant Area Food Bank’s mission is “Empowering our community to alleviate hunger and improve health.” Programs that fulfill this mission include:
● Food pantries and “markets,” including in-school pantries and kid-friendly markets.
● Senior food boxes.
● Cooking and nutrition classes.
● Assistance with benefits and community outreach, including its R.E.D. (Resources. Education. Delivered) Bus Program.
● A community garden.
● A warehouse logistics training program.
TAFB also offers a myriad of volunteer opportunities, including:
● Assisting at a food pantry (stocking shelves, helping visitors shop or load groceries, etc.)
● Attending educational and/or fundraising events like the annual Empty Bowls lunch, the Monthly Wine in the Warehouse event, or September’s Mahj4Meals, which combines mah-jongg with a lunch, auction and more.
● Fighting hunger with the Tarrant Area Food Bank Emerging Leaders.
● Serving as a Volunteer Ambassador to spread the word about access to healthy food.
● Donating a vehicle.
Fighting Hunger (& Having Fun) At Pecan Square
Over the last three years, residents at Pecan Square have collected donations to fight food insecurity with awesome activities like the Freezin’ for a Reason polar plunge, the annual Turkey Bowl (a community touch football game held on Thanksgiving morning), and the hugely popular Adult Egg Hunt at Easter, which raised enough funds to donate 12,000 meals to NTFB.
But it didn’t stop there! The Northlake community raised funds and awareness with the Annual Northlake Neighbors 5K/10K/1 Mile Fun Run; the Pecan Square Cornhole League competition raised enough funds to provide 1,110 meals to the North Texas Food Bank, and the teens of Pecan Square and Harvest organized and competed in the annual Hoops for Hunger basketball tournament, providing another 1,200 meals in the process!
We’ll continue these established annual events and add some more! Here’s a sample of additional events in the works to support the TAFB:
● Murder Mystery Night
● Adult Prom Night
● Pooch Plunge – swim with your dog in our pools after the season ends!
● A canned food drive at the brand-new on-site Johnie Daniel Elementary School, with competition between grades and a special prize for the winning grade.
In addition, we’ll make it easy to volunteer at the Tarrant Area Food Bank, with ample opportunities for teens to earn community service hours, and for adults, groups, and families to increase self-esteem, feel happier, and experience the satisfaction of working together toward a shared goal. The best part? All these entertaining and fulfilling activities are actually important work. As Joe Bass told The Dallas Morning News, “By partnering with the Food Bank, we have the power to make a tangible difference in the lives of people…the support we provide could serve as a turning point in someone’s life.”
Live with Intention at Pecan Square
At Pecan Square, we make it easy to live a life that celebrates community. It shows in our partnership with the Tarrant Area Food Bank, in the neighborhood-wide gatherings and activities that make up our lifestyle program, and even in our terrific amenities that are designed to help people have fun together and form lifelong friendships.
If this sounds like a community you’d like to be a part of, we invite you to learn more about life at Pecan Square by Hillwood. Take a look at our new homes online or visit the builder’s models to learn about their available inventory and special offers. Come by the Greeting House today—we’d love to take you on a community tour!