Looking Back on Q2: A Season of Growth 🌱

As we welcome a new quarter, we're taking a moment to celebrate the people, partnerships, and milestones that made the last few months so meaningful. From exciting wins to inspiring conversations, here's a look at how Cooking for the Crowd put our mission into action across North Texas.

A Milestone for Our Mission

What an incredible way to kick off the quarter! In April, our Founder & CEO, Elizabeth Furrh, completed the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Social Innovation Accelerator and was honored with both the $25,000 Fellow Award and the $20,000 Innovation Award at the big pitch stage.

This investment is more than funding. It's a vote of confidence in our mission and will help us strengthen our operations, expand our reach, and serve even more nonprofits through affordable, nutritious meals.

Inspiring Future Leaders

The next generation of change makers is already hard at work, and we were honored to be part of their journey. Our Director of Special Programs, Victoria Hines, spoke at Dallas College's National Apprenticeship Week Youth Summit, sharing with high school students from Cedar Hill Independent School District and Duncanville Independent School District how food, nonprofit leadership, and entrepreneurship can come together to create meaningful community impact.

It was an inspiring opportunity to encourage students to think beyond traditional career paths and see how their passions can create positive change. We were grateful to share our story and celebrate the next generation of leaders who are already imagining new ways to serve their communities.

Learning from Our Community

Growth starts with listening. In May, our Admin & Comms Assistant Valerie Santoyo attended the Mental Health & Wellness Fair hosted by A Mindful Resource Inc., our newest friends and client. We had the opportunity to learn from organizations working every day to make mental health resources more accessible for Black and Brown communities across North Texas.

Events like these remind us that when nonprofits come together to share ideas and learn from one another, our entire community benefits.

Connecting Through the United Way Showcase

One of our favorite moments this quarter was connecting with so many passionate nonprofit leaders, businesses, and community partners at the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas 2026 Showcase on June 18th.

Thanks to the generous donation of sweet cherry tomatoes from our valued partner, Restorative Farms, Elizabeth created a fresh tasting plate featuring homemade focaccia bread served with three house-made dips: a roasted garlic tomato dip, classic hummus, and a creamy white bean dip. Their fresh, locally grown produce helped bring the menu to life and highlighted the power of partnerships rooted in community.

Whether someone had known about Cooking for the Crowd for years or was hearing about us for the very first time, every conversation reminded us why this work matters. We left the Showcase energized by new connections, exciting opportunities, and a growing network of people who believe that good food can strengthen communities.

Looking Ahead

With a strong start to the year behind us, we're excited to see what the months ahead will bring. From serving more nonprofits to building new partnerships and sharing more stories from our community, there's so much more to come.

Thank you for being part of our journey. We hope you'll continue following along as we put our mission into action, one meal and one meaningful connection at a time.