Tarrant Area Food Bank Serves More than 2,100 Families at Meals for Moms Event
By Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Communications
Posted on May 05, 2021, May 05, 2021

Volunteer at distribution event (Courtesy: TAFB)

Championing the North Texas community was once again the spirit of the day for the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, partnering with Tarrant Area Food Bank, Dallas Cowboys and Arlington police and fire departments to host a Meals for Moms Mega Mobile Market on Tuesday at AT&T Stadium.

The three-hour event, designed to provide a Mother's Day meal to celebrate the matriarch of their households, distributed food to 2,175 families.

"We wanted to specifically reach out to mothers in our community who might need help just in advance of Mother's Day this Sunday," said Julie Butner, President & Chief Executive Officer, Tarrant Area Food Bank. "It's never a comfortable feeling to ask for help or support. Many people don’t do it, even though they need to do it. Folks should know we are here for that reason."

And it is that reason that drove the Cotton Bowl Classic to play quarterback in coordinating an event of this magnitude with its community partners.

"We were all-in from the get-go to help coordinate a second Mega Mobile Market with Tarrant Area Food Bank," said Rick Baker, President/Chief Executive Officer, Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. "How can you not be for Meals for Moms? This is at the heart and soul of what all of us are all about. Tarrant Area Food Bank does an incredible job of reaching people who really need help. For us to be a facilitator with them, AT&T Stadium, Dallas Cowboys and Arlington police and fire departments and help our friends and neighbors in need is quite humbling and really makes us proud to be a part of this community."

Joining the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association staff and Council members in the event were members of the National Guard and approximately 100 volunteers, along with the Arlington police and fire departments on hand to manage the traffic flow and logistics.

"The Cotton Bowl Classic has always been an organization that sought to impact the community in various ways," said Kyle Manley, CBAA Council Chairman. "It's fun, as a member of the Council, to be able to learn the traditions and ways in which the organization has been so impactful in so many people's lives. This is a special time of year so to be able to have a way for people in need to gather around food is something that's even more important. To be a part of this opportunity to help families this spring and around Mother's Day is a real blessing."

This Meals for Moms Mega Mobile Market collaboration came on the strength of Tarrant Area Food Bank's recording-setting Mega Mobile Market at AT&T Stadium on November 20, 2020, which was the largest food distribution of any kind in the North Texas area, distributing 778,090 pounds of Thanksgiving-related food to 9,154 families.

Tarrant Area Food Bank (TAFB) was founded in 1982 by a group of Fort Worth residents concerned about hunger in their community. Now the primary source of donated food for hunger-relief charities and feeding programs in Tarrant and 12 surrounding counties, TAFB serves 1,000,000 meals each week.

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