North Texas Food Bank Receives $10.5 Million Gift from Perot Family

Katherine Perot Reeves

The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) announced it received a $10.5 million donation from the Perot family, a transformational gift that will support the Nourish North Texas campaign for Food for Today and Hope for Tomorrow. This marks one of the largest contributions in the food bank’s 40-year history.

The Perot donation will give immediate and lasting support to the fight against hunger. The gift provides $10 million that will be permanently invested in the NTFB’s Feeding North Texas Foundation. The Foundation’s goal is to grow contributions with earnings that can provide a steady source of funding to ensure the NTFB and its network of partner agencies will always be able to serve families facing hunger. An additional $500,000 will support the food bank’s annual operating expenses, helping bridge the gap of food insecurity that has widened since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The North Texas Food Bank, and indeed all of North Texas, is fortunate for the extraordinary generosity of the Perot family,” said Trisha Cunningham, CEO of the North Texas Food Bank. “Their lifelong commitment to fighting hunger has improved the lives of countless North Texas families. This gift will help us grow our capacity to serve those in need for years to come.”

“Through this gift, we are proud to honor the Perot family’s legacy of addressing hunger in North Texas, from Lulu May and Gabriel Perot, to Ross and Margot Perot, and to Bette Perot who was so instrumental in the founding of the North Texas Food Bank,” said Katherine Perot Reeves, a longtime supporter and board member of the North Texas Food Bank. “By continuing to ensure that families receive the food they need, we can give them hope for a brighter future.”

The Perot’s $10.5 million donation reflects the family’s longstanding support of the North Texas Food Bank. In 2018, the NTFB opened the Perot Family Campus – a 230,000-square-foot facility that houses food distribution, volunteer operations, office space, and a community learning garden. The campus was named in honor of the Perot family for their lead gift to the Stop Hunger, Build Hope capital campaign which built the facility. The Perot Foundation also helped secure the North Texas Food Bank’s warehouse for the organization’s first facility 40 years ago.

The Perot’s multi-generational commitment to hunger relief is also showcased at the NTFB Perot Family Campus through a sculpture, Lulu May’s Mark, which welcomes visitors to the facility. During the Great Depression, an “X” was placed on the curb of Lulu May Perot’s home to indicate it was a place where hungry people could be fed. That legacy of care continues to this day as Lulu May’s Mark tells the community that the food bank is a place where hungry neighbors can get the help they need.

The Perot gift supports the NTFB’s recently launched Nourish North Texas campaign, a three-year effort to raise $500 million in funds and food to address hunger in North Texas. The campaign aims to provide Food for Today and Hope for Tomorrow by maximizing food distribution and collaborating with current and non-traditional partners to address the underlying barriers to food security.

Source: North Texas Food Bank

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