Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Services Food Assistance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Local nonprofit asks McLennan County for $10,000 to fund Thanksgiving food baskets
Summary
Carlton “Pastor C” Stimpson described a long-running Thanksgiving food-basket program that serves hundreds and asked the commissioners to consider a $10,000 contribution and earlier fundraising to expand distribution in 2025.
Carlton “Pastor C” Stimpson, founder of the Bridal to Success initiative, asked the McLennan County Commissioners Court to consider a $10,000 contribution to his group’s 2025 Thanksgiving community food-basket distribution.
Stimpson said his group has run the event for 25 years and that the program has grown well beyond turkeys to provide full holiday meals intended to be cooked at home. “My goal is to procure $10,000 for funding. This amount will supply a minimum of 500 food baskets,” Stimpson said, adding that each basket holds enough food to feed about six people.
The request came during the court’s public presentation period before the court moved into personnel budget discussions. Stimpson described large-scale distributions done during the pandemic and said the program’s baseline has been 300 baskets per event; “Numbers don’t lie. Each food basket has enough food to feed 6 people. We average 300 food baskets,” he said, noting that at that baseline the distribution feeds roughly 1,800 people.
The presenter urged the court not only to consider a one-time contribution but also to allow the nonprofit additional time to start fundraising earlier in the year, saying private donors are tightening giving and starting sooner would secure procurement and logistics. He described adding fresh vegetables and winter clothing in some years and said all funds the nonprofit receives for the event are spent on the event and documented.
Commissioner DL and another community speaker who identified themselves as Mary spoke in support during the presentation. Mary said she and others had participated and praised Stimpson’s long-term work, adding, “He’s never asked for anything, and he has worked hard and diligent all his life to help people in this community.”
The court did not take a formal vote at the meeting on Stimpson’s request. Court staff acknowledged the request and the court thanked him for the presentation as it moved on to the personnel and budget workshop.
