'Teeing off' on hunger: Donation drive connects golfers with food pantries

PLANO -- Each year when the temperatures get cooler and the leaves start to turn, local food pantries begin to prepare for one of their busiest times of the year.

The period from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day takes its toll on food pantries, which strive to give those in need of assistance a holiday meal they can be thankful for.

Linda White, the president of God's Food Pantry in east Plano, said the pantry is in desperate need of everything from sweet peas to sugar to corn in order to provide boxed Thanksgiving meals to the 308 families signed up to receive food for the holiday.

For the past 11 years the food pantry has been feeding those in need, whether they are low income residents, homeless or just down on their luck, White said. In the past quarter alone they fed 2,627 families, which equals out to 9,218 individuals.

So far, White said the pantry hasn't a turkey to its name and the goal is to have the meals boxed up and ready to be handed out by Nov. 12.

"It's a huge need. We are seeing a bigger increase, too, with the economy like it is," White said. "We're seeing people who need some food, and we are not able to give [as much as they need] because we have to ration it out."

With the pantries in need, one Plano resident decided to take matters into his own hands and spearhead a fundraising campaign for God's Food Pantry, as well as Minnie's Food Pantry in west Plano. Jerry Reeder is rolling out his Tee Off on Hunger initiative to solicit donations from the city's golfers.

"My wife and I have been giving money off and on for years, and every time, [the pantries] would be overwhelmed to get $100 or $150," Reeder said. "When you see the families with kids on the east side come in to the pantries, you can see the anguish in the mother's eyes because she doesn't know if she will have enough food for breakfast. I didn't see anyone else step up so I decided to give this a try."

Reeder has placed donation buckets at Los Rios Country Club and Ridgeview Ranch Golf Course, as well as at several other places throughout the city.

"If everyone who played a round of golf simply donated $1, we could almost wipe out the money needs of the pantries," he said. "With a little boost in donations, we could do wonders for those people who are desperate for food."

If the campaign proves successful, Reeder said he hopes it will spread to neighboring cities.

"Richardson, Garland, Frisco, all of our neighbors have golf courses and food pantries," Reeder said. "I wish the golf courses and food pantries could team up and we could knock this out."

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