Coronavirus News
Dallas-Fort Worth groups step up with generous COVID-19-inspired donations
Dallas-Fort Worth is brimming with generosity. In an effort to ease the suffering caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, DFW organizations are stepping up with giveaways, food, PPE equipment, and other charitable donations.
There's so much generosity, we need lists. For those who want to help on their own, the city of Fort Worth offers ways to do so on its website. The city also has a comprehensive listing of community groups — churches, nonprofits, transportation providers, and more — on its site.
Here are some newly announced heroic efforts in the area:
Z's Cafe and Catering has been making 4,000 meals each week and delivering them to Fort Worth ISD Families.
"When Fort Worth ISD schools closed, we realized 82,000 kids are on free, reduced lunch and we wondered, 'What are they doing for food? If they're not getting it at school, are they getting it at home?'" Z's owner Carlo Capua told NBC5.
Capua, who calls the effort the Crisis Meal Project, says businesses like Denny's, the Blue Zones Project, Empire Roofing, and Higginbotham have donated, and scores of volunteers have helped make and deliver the meals. Approximately 85,000 students in the Fort Worth ISD students qualify for free or reduced lunches, he says. For more information, visit the website.
Three Fort Worth distilleriespivoted their operations last month to make hand sanitizer. Since then:
- TX Whiskey committed in early April to providing up to 1,000 gallons of sanitizer per week for the next 10 weeks, as needed, to FEMA and the local government, they announced in a Facebook post. All donations are going to critical health-care providers and first responders.
- Blackland Distillery donated more than 1,000 gallons of sanitizer to local organizations, including the Tarrant Area Food Bank, Meals on Wheels, Presbyterian Night Shelter, local police departments, and more. Customers can still pick it up at their location in the Foundry District.
- Acre Distilling has supplied its Hand Elixir to a local nursing homes, Fed Ex for their drivers, the City of Fort Worth, Meals On Wheels, Fort Worth Fire Department, ICU nurses, police officers, postal workers, and more. In addition, they're partnering with local eateries and chefs on food drives for service industry, first responders, and others in need around Fort Worth. "No questions asked, if you're hungry, you're getting a plate...and free hand sanitizer, too," they say. Follow their Facebook page to find out more.
Trademark Property Company in Fort Worth has committed $100,000 to support food-based organizations in Dallas-Fort Worth, as well as the 12 markets across the country where it operates retail and mixed-use properties, in response to COVID-19's impact on the retail and restaurant industries.
Through its C19 Community Initiative, Trademark is matching donations, dollar for dollar, up to $100,000, with a goal of raising a total of $200,000 by April 17. Their website has a list of the DFW recipients that include Tarrant County Food Bank, Meals on Wheels of Tarrant County, North Texas Food Bank, Allen Community Outreach, Allen Food Pantry, Minnie's Food Pantry, and Everybody Eats. To have a donation matched, send donation receipts to TDMKGives@trademarkproperty.com.
In the DFW area, the retail and mixed-use development, investment, and institutional services firm operates Watters Creek, Waterside, Westbend, and Galleria Dallas.
Pizza Hut has launched the "Read & Feed Program," where they will donate 250,000 personal pan pizzas and make $500,000 in grants to educators through their nonprofit partner First Book. With these grants, First Book and First Book-eligible BOOK IT! educators will be able to order books or other educational resources and distribute to students where essential services are received (including emergency feeding sites, approved grab-and-go food programs at schools, public housing authorities, or other essential social service sites).
Beginning April 22, every order from First Book (up to 10,000) will arrive to educators with 25 Pizza Hut Personal Pan Pizza certificates which educators can distribute to their students. First Book educators interested in applying for a grant from Pizza Hut to support their students can visit FirstBook.org for more information.
TFG Foundation, the charitable counterpart to for-profit thrift store Thrift for Good in Hurst, is increasing its charitable donations to $150,000 and extending the deadline to apply. The foundation, which was set to launch next fall but launched early to help relieve financial stress felt by charities due to COVID-19, has already committed $50,000 to local organizations and will now give an additional $100,000 to charities in need.
TFG Foundation invites 501(c)(3) organizations in need to apply for grants at www.tfggives.org/apply-for-funds/. The application deadline is April 24.
In addition to financial support, nonprofits can apply for donated goods such as blankets and towels, housewares, and clothing, which will become available later this year. Thrift for Good also invites organizations to apply for year-round support through its fundraising program. Twenty-five percent of revenue from donated items goes to the charity of the donor’s choice.
In-Fretta, the pizza and wings mini-chain with locations in Irving and Plano, has organized a big meal giveaway on Saturday, April 18. The Irving location has partnered with Irving mayor Rick Stopfer, plus 1 Solar Solutions, DallasBuzz, OPeople Foundation, plus area eateries Mama Pita Mediterranean Grill, Chameli Restaurant, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Big Guys Gyro and Rice, and Charminar Cafe, to give away 4,000 meals. Anyone who is hungry is welcome to drive up and get pasta, pizza, and chicken & rice. It's taking place at the In-Fretta Restaurant at 3341 Regent Blvd. from 11 am-2 pm.
Rosewood Corporation and the Caroline Rose Hunt family are donating equipment to first responders. Specifically, they're donating 6,000 Multi-Shield face protectors to Dallas Fire and Rescue, and 50,000 packets of single-use hand sanitizer to the Dallas Police Department to help protect first responders on the front lines of the COVID-19 fight.
The face shields and hand sanitizer were produced by two of The Rosewood Corporation’s manufacturing companies: MutliCam and INW Manufacturing, both based in North Texas, who re-purposed their facilities and operations to design and manufacture PPE. The donations are a response to the city of Dallas' request for more PPE to help first responders stay safe.
Mimi’s Pizzeria, through the end of May, is offering all first responders, police officers, and medical workers 50 percent off of their orders. Mimi’s has also provided local restaurant workers with free pizzas, and contributed 20 percent of sales to Kids Save Dallas Restaurants, to give back to his fellow restaurants in need, and the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center.
Mimi’s Pizzeria is a family-owned restaurant from Jetmir "Mimi" Ahmedi that opened in February 1991, where they serve New York-style pizza and stuffed pizza rolls.
7740Dallas is currently delivering more than 1,000 meals from seven local restaurants every week to seven COVID-19 hospital wards through April. The effort was founded by Jacob Tindall of 5G Studio Collaborative, design architect for the Omni Dallas Hotel, and has already raised more than $40,000 with funds going directly to the restaurants to purchase meals. Donations are welcome on their gofundme channel and more at www.7740Dallas.com. Hospitals and COVID-19 teams receiving food include Baylor Scott & White Dallas, Baylor Scott & White Plano, Children’s Medical Center Dallas, Methodist Dallas, Parkland, Texas Health Dallas, and UT Southwestern. Participating restaurants include Babe’s Chicken Dinner House, Chop House Burger, Commissary Dallas, HG Sply, Lockwood Distilling Co., Red Stix Asian Street Food, and Wild Salsa.
Balcones Distilling, the Waco-based distillery, is donating 400 gallons of sanitizer to the Dallas Police Association, Plano Police Department, and the Dallas Fire Fighters Association on April 14. In an effort to support the surrounding Texas community and those serving on the frontlines in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Teresa Gubbins contributed to this story.