Morgan Mill, TX: The big generosity of a small community.
- 8 minutes ago
- 3 min read
By Brian Gordon
Special to Beneath the Surface News
My mother told me, “To be happy in life, you need to put others first.”
If that’s true, the citizens of Morgan Mill, Texas must be really happy people.
The Morgan Mill community manages to support many diverse service and charitable causes in a way that larger towns would envy.
The organizations all have one thing in common. Each entity exists to make Morgan Mill a better place to live and to help the lives of those who encounter their community.
Morgan Mill Community Center
The community center hosts regular events, such as the monthly community breakfast, which is open to all residents, free of charge.
The community center is the gathering place for the annual VFD BBQ, the Live Nativity and other events hosted for the community.
At a recent community breakfast, I saw residents from all walks of life greeting each other with genuine neighborliness, sitting down to enjoy breakfast together.
I sat across the table from a young man, Ryan, who eyed my camera and notepad suspiciously, then asked if I needed more of the hot syrup for my waffles and offered to get it for me.
That kind of hospitality is rare. In Morgan Mill, that kind of hospitality is real.
Morgan Mill VFD
The residents of Morgan Mill keenly understand the needs of volunteer fire and emergency services and have responded accordingly.
With their backing and incredible support, a brand new 12 vehicle station is another example of “extreme generosity” by the Morgan Mill community, according to Assistant Chief Flinn.
The annual VFD BBQ offers Morgan Mill residents a chance to support the fire department with much needed annual funding, usually around $35,000. But this past year, spirited bidding raised over $120,000.
The department showed the community what it needed and the community responded.
Extreme generosity.
Morgan Mill Food Pantry
Every Wednesday afternoon the Morgan Mill Food Pantry opens up for business as it has regularly since 2012 with direct support from the Morgan Mill Methodist Church.
The food pantry feeds upwards of 300 people each week with many of the bulk items directly from the Tarrant Area Food Bank, some purchased and some free of charge. Corporate sponsors donate funds and food products directly each week.
Individuals donate, even the clients themselves sometimes donate.
And, when the shelves run low, the volunteers sometimes purchase bulk items for the coming week out of their own pockets.
Real joy, real generosity.
Morgan Mill Thanksgiving
And, if feeding 300 each week sounds amazing, there’s the annual Morgan Mill Thanksgiving Feast that feeds close to 1,000.
Every year, the doors of the Morgan Mill ISD school are opened to welcome guests for a free Thanksgiving meal provided by the generosity of school volunteers, community volunteers and citizen and corporate donors.
Live Nativity
Perhaps the most important act of generosity by this community is the delivery of the Christmas message through its annual Live Nativity presentation, which has grown to a live presentation outside
the community center with approximately 20 costumed characters, a choir and 200-300 guests in attendance.
Community members make the sets, sew the costumes, sing in the choir, help with the lighting and sound and set up for…you guessed it …the community meal to follow!
The gift of Christmas on full, living display.
Conclusion
What makes the community of Morgan Mill generous?
I asked that question to everyone I interviewed and received many different answers ranging from its pioneer spirit, Texas friendliness and just looking out for each other as you would a neighbor.
But I believe the real answer can be seen in the actions of the people in this community, living out what they believe and putting others first.
