When COVID-19 struck Fort Worth, ‘Mrs. T’ made sure to take care of after-school kids

Trinell Parrish-Brown wears many hats.

She’s a mother, a volunteer, a driver, a substitute teacher, a student and she’s someone who selflessly gives back to her community despite the odds, her colleagues say.

Now, she’s also a Star-Telegram Hometown Hero.

For almost four years, Parrish-Brown has worked as the transportation supervisor at Hope Farm, an after-school leadership program for fatherless boys and their mothers, where the kids amicably call her “Mrs. T.”

Hope Farm regularly fed its children on site but then COVID-19 struck Tarrant County and the children had to hunker down at home, not able to go to their schools or Hope Farm.

But even though the pandemic caused a difficult situation, Parrish-Brown managed to coordinate the delivery of more than 1,500 hot meals twice a week to the families served by Hope Farm. She also helped prepare those meals and even kept in touch with the families herself.

All in just this past month.

The meals were delivered with do-it-yourself activity packages and anything else a family might have needed, like hand sanitizer or electronic devices.

Before COVID-19, Parrish-Brown was responsible for coordinating the transportation routes to pick the children up from their schools, but her colleagues say that she’s always gone the extra mile.

“She has a giving spirit, a can-do attitude and she does it all with a smile on her face,” said Sacher Dawson, executive director of Hope Farm, who nominated Parrish-Brown for recognition in the Star-Telegram’s Hometown Hero series. “She fills in as substitute teacher whenever one of the teachers of the after school program is out. She directed a play during Black History Month. There’s just no way to describe her other than indispensable.”

Hometown Heroes is sponsored by Lockheed Martin, which is providing $1,000 each to the 28 people selected by the Star-Telegram to be featured in the weekly series.

Dawson said he nominated Parrish-Brown because of the fire that burns inside of her to help others and to nurture the boys at Hope Farm.

Noble Crawford, co-founder and director of services at Hope Farm, says the kids always hang out in Parrish-Brown’s office and that they always confide in her because of her approachable demeanor.

He describes her as a people-person, and he says that her selflessness is what truly sets her apart.

“She loves doing what she’s doing and whenever one of the kids is having a tough time, they know they can talk to Mrs. T.,” Crawford said.

But what motivates Mrs. T?

Parrish-Brown says a few years ago she dedicated her life to ministry and helping others in the name of her religion. Even though her main responsibility at Hope Farm is to be a driver and to coordinate transportation, she enjoys being a rock for the kids.

“Before coronavirus, I used to connect with the boys on the way to Hope Farm from school and I could always tell if they had a good day or a bad day. I would help them wind down on the ride home and I gave them the chance to vent. Whether it’s the boys, the moms or even my co-workers as well.”

Parrish-Brown’s warmth and kindness made all the difference for “Knox,” an autistic 8-year-old boy enrolled in the program.

She said Knox does not easily communicate with others and that he usually has a hard time connecting with people. But she said that she wanted to make a difference in his life no matter what, so she persisted.

“I decided to learn how to connect with him and it really required patience and just waiting for him to open up. On the rides to Hope Farm, I would play the ‘Trolls’ (soundtrack) because it’s what he likes to listen to,” Parrish-Brown said. “I invited myself into his world, and now we can just have a conversation about anything and it’s helping him become a little bit more comfortable around other people too.”

Gieauna Session, Parrish-Brown’s best friend, says that she’s always been someone to lean on for support of any kind.

“She’s a friend and she’s a mentor, even though she’s younger than me,” Session said. “She’s very loving, very giving and she cares deeply about the community and about others.”

Parrish-Brown said she battles through acute allergies, diabetes and being overweight — all against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic that puts folks with preexisting conditions most at risk.

But despite the odds, Parrish-Brown never stopped exceeding expectations.

“She always got something going on but she’s up early in the morning and she’s up until late at night. If she goes to Hope Farm, she’s probably there from 9 in the morning up until probably like 8 p.m.,” Stiggers said. “That’s just the kind of person she is.”

This story was originally published June 14, 2020 at 5:45 AM.