How a Community Bank Is Powering Nonprofits – and Why It Matters for CTFB’s New Waco Facility
At TFNB | Your Bank for Life, the community has been at the heart of the bank since its founding. Charity Champions extends that commitment, using TFNB’s platform with Baylor Athletics and local media to lift up nonprofits, provide practical tools, and help them grow. This year, that spotlight includes the Central Texas Food Bank (CTFB), right as CTFB prepares to open a new facility in Waco to better serve our northernmost counties.
“Helping those who help others”
Charity Champions was created on TFNB’s 125th anniversary to celebrate the bank’s roots with something more enduring than a one-day event. As Executive Vice President Jason Lavender shared, the program’s purpose is simple: “Helping those who help others.” TFNB staff vote to select a cohort of nonprofit nominees each year – one for every Baylor home football game – then surround them with visibility, training, and practical support.
“There are a ton of nonprofits in any thriving community,” Lavender said. “A lot of times, those founders lack resources. So we thought, well, as a bank, what resources do we have to help level them up?”
More than a shout-out: a full “statement of work”
What began as on-field recognition has grown into a robust package of year-round benefits for honorees and alumni:
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Baylor Game Spotlights (football and men’s/women’s basketball): on-field/court recognition and exposure to tens of thousands of fans.
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Media visibility: broadcast segments with local partners like KWTX (Julie Hays’ “Tell Me Something Good”) plus radio features.
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Leadership training series: 5–6 annual sessions for executive leaders, board members, and volunteers – “Once a Charity Champion, always a Charity Champion.”
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Talent pipeline: Baylor work-study interns (marketing and grant writing), typically juniors/seniors, embedded to solve real capacity gaps.
“Each year we try to add another deliverable,” Lavender said. “So that way it impacts the organization instead of just the executive director.”
From Austin roots to Waco momentum
Lavender’s connection to CTFB goes back years. Before moving to Waco, he lived in Austin and helped with the capital campaign that enabled CTFB’s move into its current Austin headquarters, expanding warehouse capacity and launching the Community Kitchen.
“Getting to see that kitchen when it was all done and all the space — and I know what an impact that was,” he said. He added that doing the same thing in Waco is “a huge deal for Central Texas.”
Why Waco? Food insecurity is significant across McLennan County and nearby rural communities. CTFB’s Waco facility will shorten the distance between food and families, strengthen local pantry partners, and increase throughput to the nine northernmost counties of CTFB’s 21-county service area.
“We have several pantries that do a really great job here, really good people involved, and they work their tails off,” Lavender said. A more centralized distribution point, he noted, “means we’ll feed more families.” That’s “part of why our staff really wanted to amplify the message of y’all coming here.”
Corporate leadership that strengthens a whole ecosystem
Lavender is candid about the role corporate partners can play.
“The health of the whole community really can be told based upon the health of the nonprofits that are around it supporting it,” he said. Businesses, he added, can help stand up nonprofits, support them, and “get the word out” – not just with fundraising, but by deploying resources so more people know where to get help and how to help.
That philosophy is built into Charity Champions: visibility drives volunteers and donors; training and interns build durable capacity; recognition builds public trust.
Gratitude – and a call to action
CTFB is honored to be selected as a Charity Champion and grateful to TFNB for a program that builds the whole nonprofit. The timing couldn’t be better. As CTFB’s Waco facility comes online, the region will see the same kind of transformational impact Austin experienced a decade ago: more fresh, nutritious food, closer to home.
How Companies Can Get Involved (Waco + Across Central Texas)
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Invest where it counts
Sponsor programs, match employee gifts, fund critical equipment, or support the Waco facility launch.
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Share your platform
Use internal comms, customer channels, or media partnerships to lift up local resources and calls to action.
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Provide skills & talent
Offer pro-bono services (marketing, data, logistics) or sponsor student interns and fellowships.
Let’s talk partnerships: Visit our Corporate Giving page for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Charity Champions?
A TFNB initiative that recognizes nonprofits, elevates their visibility at Baylor Athletics events, provides leadership training, connects them to media, and places Baylor student interns – support that continues long after the award year.
Why is CTFB opening a facility in Waco?
To improve access for the northernmost counties in CTFB’s 21-county service area, reduce distribution miles, strengthen local pantry partners, and move more fresh food faster.
How can my company help now?
Schedule a corporate volunteer day, sponsor a piece of the Waco facility ramp-up, or fund high-impact programs (Mobile distributions, Nutrition Education, Children's Programs, and more). We’ll tailor a plan that meets your CSR goals.
