Denton Community Food Center

When You Feed the Least of These…

It’s very possible that 99 percent (or more) of the people reading this have no idea of the complexities involved with managing and operating a large, well-provisioned food pantry that dispenses items to assist families in the preparation of nutritious, tasty, well-balanced meals over the span of a month.

You’ll be absolutely fascinated if you have a chance to listen to Tom Newell tell the story of how the Denton Community Food Center operates. He retired from the telecom industry 17 years ago, hooked up with the DCFC, and now refers to it as his “third career.” He’s designated as the Board Chairman of the all-volunteer organization.

“It began in 1974 as a religious organization,” he explained. “There were 10 churches in Denton doing their best to take care of needy congregants. Finally, someone experienced an epiphany and put the idea of joining forces on the table. They recognized they’d be stronger, have more resources, and could do a better job.”

The narrative belonging to the Denton Community Food Center is one of the best possible illustrations of what happens when people work together rather than separately.

“We became an independent 501(c)3 in 1984,” Tom said. “There were a lot of people who doubted a group of volunteers could pull off the operation, but we’re stronger than ever after 50 years.

“We have between 120 and 150 volunteers, many older and retired individuals who’re looking to give back to the community. There’s a core group within that number who each works 30 or more hours every week. We account for about 23,000 volunteer hours overall.

“We distributed 1.4 million pounds of food in 2023,” Tom said. That number raises a lot of eyebrows. The distribution chain is food bank to food pantry to the people, with DCFC designated as the pantry.

“You can think of us as the storefront in the chain,” Tom clarified. “About 40 percent of the food we give out comes from the food banks. For donations, we can make better and more effective use of cash because of our buying power.” DCFC is able to $10 cash and buy $70 worth of food. With inflation, maybe more like $85 or $90.

“We’re blessed with a good donation stream, allowing us to purchase about 50 percent of our food at discount. We also pick up from four large grocery stores, such as Winco and Target,” Tom said.

Another highly effective technique DCFC uses is networking with trucking companies. “Stores will sometimes order things that wind up as non-sellers. As a result, a future delivery of that item will be rejected by the store before it ever comes off the truck. The driver needs to unload so he can get back on the road for his next haul. Our networking efforts kick in, and we pick up what the store rejected. Our new warehouse allows us to do things like this because we have adequate space with a walk-in freezer and cooler.”

The DCFC Board has made a commitment that every family needs milk and eggs. To fulfill that, they purchase first-quality milk and eggs and distribute them once each month. “We also provide good protein sources, while other pantries focus primarily on canned goods and peanut butter. I’m certainly not downplaying those pantries when I make that statement. They’re playing a very important role, but we’ve just been able to do more. Even with all we do, it’s important to remember we’re supplementing and not sustaining in terms of food provision.”

The stark reality is 40 percent of American families are only one missed paycheck away from poverty, and 21 percent of Denton County residents are hunger insecure. That is terrifying information, and no one sees signs of those numbers improving any time soon.

Perhaps the most vital method for fighting the situation is to adopt an attitude that says survival is a shared burden. Forget the survival of the fittest and, instead, rely on the values and attributes that make us human. And remember, asking for help is not easy, so don’t do anything to make it harder.

There’s a new term among food pantries and food banks — ALICE, which stands for Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed. It references all the people who are employed but still have significant problems making ends meet.

“We were a food pantry before there was ever a food bank in Denton County,” Tom said. “We’re visible to the community, and we should NOT be confused with the North Texas Food Bank. As of January 1, 2025, any donations made to the North Texas Food Bank will NOT benefit us.

“We’re a strong, confident organization and every penny of every dollar you donate to us goes directly to feeding people. We use that money for nutrition so we can fill carts with produce, protein, and that once-a-month milk and eggs.” 

Tom explained that 40 percent of the produce in America is wasted. The best of it goes to restaurants. The next best goes to grocery stores. The left-over 40 percent is the stuff that’s ugly but totally nutritious. “We want it!” he said.

“We’ve overcome barriers through the years. We’ve applied common business sense to making the pantry work because we know what we’re doing is the right thing to do. We have buying power, and we’re familiar with the community’s needs. I know we’re stronger and more vibrant than we’ve ever been, even in the face of our current economy.

“It’s not always easy, but a bunch of volunteers is still able to feed people in 31 zip codes in Denton County. We intend for that to continue.”