Officials from several Johnson County charitable organizations traveled Thursday to Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth for an all-day symposium and celebration of the Tarrant Area Food Bank’s 25th anniversary.
Harold Darling, coordinator of Heart 2 Heart, which is operated out of Crossroads Church of Cleburne, served as a panelist on an early-morning roundtable discussion of local charities and local hunger. Catherine Cuellar, general assignments reporter for KERA 90.1, served as moderator.
Bo Soderbergh, executive director of the Tarrant Area Food Bank, said he hoped the day would afford representatives of local charities in North Texas an opportunity to mingle with old and new friends, pick up new ideas and attend the several planned workshop sessions.
Cuellar opened the round table by saying a Harvard University study released this week placed the economic impact of hunger at about $90 billion a year in lost productivity, health problems and subsidies for food banks and other charitable organizations.
Darling described Heart 2 Heart as a way station for those in need. He said the center provides groceries, hot meals every Tuesday, lunches and a movie day Friday afternoons.
“Any number of folks have told us they don’t know what they would have done if it hadn’t have been for us,” Darling said. “We’re dealing with a lot of people between jobs, and I mean low-paying jobs and a lot of older folk raising grandkids.”
Darling said his center has experienced a slight increase in those seeking help because the price of everything has increased and word about their services has spread.
Asked about the prospects of decreasing hunger and poverty, Darling said people remained locked in the cycle for different reasons.
“Criminal records; there’s no good paying jobs for felons,” Darling said. “And grandparents raising grandkids stresses the whole system. I hate to be pessimistic, but unless we change the system completely, I don’t think we’re going to see much improvement.”
Other panelists seemed to agree.
“We also have to deal with the drug problem,” said Becky Kinard, director of Center of Hope’s eastern Parker County office said. “That’s where a lot of our 30-, 40- and 50-year-old parents who’s kids are being raised by the grandparents are.”
Darling said charitable organizations should work together to improve the problem.
“In Johnson County there’s some competition between the organizations, which dilutes the resources, and a lot do a bit of everything,” Darling said. “I’d rather they specialize and cooperate with each other.”
Darling added that many organizations throughout the county remain unaware of the others. He said local leaders also need to tackle the problem.
“Community leaders don’t want to look at this because it’s seen as a black mark on promoting their area and attracting business,” Darling said. “We need them to stand up, say it’s here and take it on. And we need citizens to be informed and vote.”
Darling said the symposium was worthwhile and full of useful information. He said it was helpful to hear from charitable agencies outside the Cleburne and Johnson County area.
“I’d like to see [Johnson County organizations] not completely eliminate the duplications of services but specialize and work together and coordinate more,” Darling said.
Matt Smith can be reached at 817-645-2441, ext. 2339, or msmith@trcle.com.
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