Former TCU coach Gary Patterson, Fort Worth singer Leon Bridges hold second Big Give event
A year after joining forces to create The Big Good fundraising organization, former TCU head football coach Gary Patterson and Fort Worth singer Leon Bridges held their second large-scale food distribution on Tuesday, which will provide 10,000 Thanksgiving meals to North Texas families.
The Big Good was created to help children and families in the North Texas community through fundraising efforts, according to the organization’s website.
Patterson and Bridges, two Fort Worth-area big names, held the first distribution event called The Big Give in November 2020, which provided meals to 10,000 families, said Julie Butner, Tarrant Area Food Bank president and CEO.
She said Patterson’s wife, Kelsey, reached out to the Tarrant Area Food Bank last year looking for a way to help families struggling with hunger during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During The Big Give, the organization brings the protein — turkey last year, chicken this year — and the Food Bank provides the sides and desserts from other community donors.
Two years into the partnership, Butner said she believes The Big Good plans to continue with The Big Give event yearly going forward.
“It’s part of the foundation mission,” she said. “It’s a way for Gary Patterson and Leon Bridges to give back into the community.”
Patterson served as the TCU football coach for 21 seasons and he and wife Kelsey have been active members in the Fort Worth community for years. Bridges grew up in Fort Worth and is a Grammy-Award winning artist.
Tarrant Area Food Bank will distribute the Thanksgiving meals provided from The Big Give event on Thursday at AT&T Stadium from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., which will be the largest distribution for the Thanksgiving holiday, Butner said.
On Friday, the Food Bank in partnership with HelloFresh will be at the Como Community Center, located at 4660 Horne St., from 10:30-11:30 a.m. to distribute more meals.
Butner said the main ways people can help the Tarrant Area Food Bank are by volunteering or by monetary donations.
Because the Food Bank is a grassroots effort, she said they rely heavily on donations and The Big Give event largely contributes to the holidays.
“By providing 10,000 chickens, that’s a significant amount of funding,” she said. “This is a pretty significant one to help the community.”
This story was originally published November 16, 2021 at 4:59 PM.
