Coronavirus News

Dallas organizations step up with generous COVID-19-inspired donations

7740Dallas team, at your service.

Courtesy photo

Dallas-Fort Worth is brimming with generosity. In an effort to ease the suffering caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, DFW organizations are stepping up with giveaways, food, PPE equipment, and other charitable donations.

There's so much generosity, we need a list. Here are some newly announced heroic efforts around town:

Dallas Area Rapid Transit is deploying bus operators to make sure Dallas Independent School District (DISD) students throughout the region still get the meals they need as they learn from home. The two agencies have partnered to deliver weekly meals for students. Using DART buses for meal delivery helps DISD reach families that utilize state-sponsored school lunches, makes it more practical for families that are transit-dependent, and helps families that are working.

It'll keep DART bus operators busy too. They will be picking up food at DISD’s distribution center and transporting it to three different Dallas pickup locations: Thurgood Marshall Recreation Center, Janie Turner Recreation Center and Highland Hills Branch Library. Each bus will deliver 1,500 meals, enough for 100 families per bus, 15 meals per student, for a total of 4,500 meals weekly for distribution by DISD employees.

The school district has already provided more than one million meals in the last two weeks, but the number of people needing food is expected to increase.

Rosewood Corporation and the Caroline Rose Hunt family are donating equipment to first responders. Specifically, they're donating 6,000 Multi-Shield face protectors to Dallas Fire and Rescue, and 50,000 packets of single-use hand sanitizer to the Dallas Police Department to help protect first responders on the front lines of the COVID-19 fight.

The face shields and hand sanitizer were produced by two of The Rosewood Corporation’s manufacturing companies: MutliCam and INW Manufacturing, both based in North Texas, who re-purposed their facilities and operations to design and manufacture PPE. The donations are a response to the city of Dallas' request for more PPE to help first responders stay safe.

Mimi’s Pizzeria is donating more than 350 meals to hospitals on April 14, including Parkland, UT Southwestern, Children’s, and Texas Health Presbyterian.

In addition, through the end of May, Mimi’s Pizzeria is offering all first responders, police officers, and medical workers 50 percent off of their orders. Mimi’s has also provided local restaurant workers with free pizzas, and contributed 20 percent of sales to Kids Save Dallas Restaurants, to give back to his fellow restaurants in need, and the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center.

Mimi’s Pizzeria is a family-owned restaurant from Jetmir "Mimi" Ahmedi that opened on Northwest Highway in February 1991, where they serve New York-style pizza and stuffed pizza rolls.

7740Dallas is currently delivering more than 1,000 meals from seven local restaurants every week to seven COVID-19 hospital wards through April. The effort was founded by Jacob Tindall of 5G Studio Collaborative, design architect for the Omni Dallas Hotel, and has already raised more than $40,000 with funds going directly to the restaurants to purchase meals. Donations are welcome on their gofundme channel and more at www.7740Dallas.com. Hospitals and COVID-19 teams receiving food include Baylor Scott & White Dallas, Baylor Scott & White Plano, Children’s Medical Center Dallas, Methodist Dallas, Parkland, Texas Health Dallas, UT Southwestern. Participating restaurants include Babe’s Chicken Dinner House, Chop House Burger, Commissary Dallas, HG Sply, Lockwood Distilling Co., Red Stix Asian Street Food, and Wild Salsa.

Pizza Hut has launched the "Read & Feed Program," where they will donate 250,000 personal pan pizzas and make $500,000 in grants to educators through their nonprofit partner First Book. With these grants, First Book and First Book-eligible BOOK IT! educators will be able to order books or other educational resources and distribute to students where essential services are received (including emergency feeding sites, approved grab-and-go food programs at schools, public housing authorities, or other essential social service sites).

Beginning April 22, every order from First Book (up to 10,000) will arrive to educators with 25 Pizza Hut Personal Pan Pizza certificates which educators can distribute to their students. First Book educators interested in applying for a grant from Pizza Hut to support their students can visit FirstBook.org for more information.

Trademark Property Company in Fort Worth has committed $100,000 to support food-based organizations in Dallas-Fort Worth, as well as the 12 markets across the country where it operates retail and mixed-use properties, in response to COVID'19's impact on the retail and restaurant industries.

Through its C19 Community Initiative, Trademark is matching donations, dollar for dollar, up to $100,000, with a goal of raising a total of $200,000 by April 17. Their website has a list of the DFW recipients that include Allen Community Outreach, Allen Food Pantry, Minnie's Food Pantry, Tarrant County Food Bank, Meals on Wheels of Tarrant County, North Texas Food Bank, and Everybody Eats. To have a donation matched, send donation receipts to TDMKGives@trademarkproperty.com.

In DFW, the retail and mixed-use development, investment and institutional services firm, operates Galleria Dallas, Watters Creek, Waterside, and Westbend.

In-Fretta, the pizza and wings mini-chain with locations in Irving and Plano, has organized a big meal giveaway on Saturday April 18. The Irving location has partnered with Irving mayor Rick Stopfer, plus 1 Solar Solutions, DallasBuzz, OPeople Foundation, plus area eateries Mama Pita Mediterranean Grill, Chameli Restaurant, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Big Guys Gyro, and Rice Charminar Cafe, to give away 4,000 meals. Anyone who is hungry is welcome to drive up and get pasta, pizza, and chicken & rice. It's taking place at the In-Fretta Restaurant at 3341 Regent Blvd. from 11 am-2 pm.

Balcones Distilling, the Waco-based distillery, is donating 400 gallons of sanitizer to the Dallas Police Association, Plano Police Department, and the Dallas Fire Fighters Association on April 14. In an effort to support the surrounding Texas community and those serving on the frontlines in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Pestilence News

New invasive pest in Texas is destroying grasses and pasture

TAMU

Mealyworm is small but damaging.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has issued an urgent alert to farmers to inspect their pastures for a newly detected and highly damaging pest: the pasture mealybug (Helicococcus summervillei).

According to a release from the Department of Agriculture (TDA), this invasive species, never before reported in North America, has been confirmed in multiple Texas counties and is already causing significant damage to pasture acreage across the southeast portion of the state.

The pasture mealybug causes “pasture dieback,” leaving expanding patches of yellowing, weakened, and ultimately dead turf.

This pest was first detected in Australia in 1928; its first detection in the Western Hemisphere occurred in the Caribbean between 2019 and 2020.

The TDA is working with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to coordinate a rapid response and protect Texas producers.

Mealybug history
Although the mealybug is just now being spotted, researchers suspect it may have been introduced before 2022.

Since mid-April 2025, southern Texas pasture and hay producers have been reporting problems in their fields. These fields show grass patches becoming brown or necrotic, or patches that are completely dead. Originally, it was presumed that symptoms were caused by another mealybug called the Rhodes grass mealybug, which has been reported in the U.S. since 1942. However, further investigations confirm that it's this new pasture mealybug (Heliococcus summervillei).

It has devastated millions of acres of grazing land in Australia and has since spread globally. Its rapid reproduction, hidden soil-level feeding, and broad host range make it a significant threat to pasture health and livestock operations.

MealybugTAMU

Adult females are approximately 2-5 mm long, covered in a white, waxy coating. They are capable of producing nearly 100 offspring within 24 hours, resulting in several generations per season. While adult females can live for up to 100 days, most damage is inflicted by the youngest nymphs, which feed on plant sap and inject toxic saliva that causes grass to yellow, weaken, and die.

“This is a completely new pest to our continent, and Texas is once again on the front lines,” Commissioner Miller says. “If the pasture mealybug spreads across Texas grazing lands like it has in eastern Australia, it could cost Texas agriculture dearly in lost productivity and reduced livestock capacity. TDA is working hand-in-hand with federal and university partners to respond swiftly and protect our producers from this unprecedented threat.”

Houston has a problem
The estimated impact area currently covers 20 counties, primarily in the Houston area, including: Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy, Refugio, Calhoun, Victoria, Goliad, Dewitt, Lavaca, Fayette, Jackson, Matagorda, Brazoria, Galveston, Wharton, Colorado, Austin, Washington, Burleson, Brazos, and Robertson. AgriLife entomologists have submitted a formal Pest Incident Worksheet documenting significant damage to pastures and hayfields in Victoria County.

Research trials are underway to determine the best integrated pest management options. Currently, there is no known effective labeled insecticide for pasture mealybug.

Affected plants include: Bermudagrass, Bahia grass, Johnsongrass, hay grazer (sorghum–sudangrass), St. Augustine grass, various bluestem species, and other tropical or subtropical grasses. Damage can occur in leaves, stems, and roots.

Symptoms:

Yellowing and discoloration of leaves within a week of infestation
Purpling or reddening of foliage
Stunted growth and drought stress despite rainfall
Poorly developed root systems
Dieback starting at leaf tips and progressing downward
Premature aging, making plants more vulnerable to pathogens

How to spot it

Scout regularly for mealybugs on grass leaves, stems, soil surface, leaf litter, and under cow patties
Focus on unmanaged areas such as fence lines, ungrazed patches, and roadsides
Look for fluffy, white, waxy, or “fuzzy” insects on blades and stems
If plants appear unhealthy and insects match this description, investigate further

“Early identification is critical, and we need every producer’s eyes on the ground,” Commissioner Miller added. “We are working diligently with our federal and state partners to determine how to best combat this novel threat and stop it in its tracks.”

If you observe suspicious symptoms or insects matching the descriptions above, contact TDA at 1-800-TELL-TDA immediately.

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