A Vision of a Hunger-Free North
The late Jan Pruitt first felt a calling to serve others more than three decades ago. As a stay-at-home mother of four she knew she wanted to set an example for her children and, after a conversation with her priest about the great need for support and leadership in her local community, she eventually found her way to the Lancaster Outreach Center, a North Texas Food Bank Partner Agency near her home. She took the helm of the organization and dedicated her life to those in need. After serving the community of Lancaster for 11 years as the Outreach Center’ s CEO, followed by a brief stint as executive director of the Texas Food Bank Network, Jan began her 20-year career with the North Texas Food Bank as its CEO.
When she came aboard in 1997, she oversaw the distribution of 11 million meals. By 2016, the number grew to an amazing 70 million nutritious meals. But, as someone who deeply understood hunger in our community, Jan knew even this accomplishment— while impressive— wasn’ t enough to feed everyone who is struggling to put food on the table in North Texas.
“ I have dedicated my life to ending hunger because I believe this challenge constitutes the most agonizing moral and humanitarian problem of our day,” she proclaimed.
“ The Food Bank of the future will pioneer, innovate and continue to expand our capacity … The co-existence of affluence and poverty, of hunger and abundance, so closely in our communities is a continual reminder that our work is not finished.”
- JAN PRUITT, Former President & CEO
Jan, in accepting the John Van Hengel Award in 2012, shared her thoughts on the importance of continuing to expand food banking across the
country:“ America needs us now more than ever, and her eyes are upon you, waiting and watching and counting on us to be relevant in the warp speed of change rushing in and around us. In these times we must set outlandish goals, anticipate continuous systemic change, apply new information and achieve milestones unheard of before.”
6 Around the Table