The Pilot Point Health Fair will return for its second year.
Maria Jones, the strategic development manager for Denton Freedom House, spoke at Pilot Point’s Rotary Club meeting on March 17 about the fair and about the Christ-centered nonprofit she works for, Denton Freedom House.
“We see lives transformed all the time, families restored and miracles taking place,” Jones said of the organization, which helps people overcome their battles with addiction through Christ-centered teachings.
The Denton Freedom House owns and operates two businesses in Denton, the Zera Coffee Shop and the Freedom Food Pantry.
Jones shared the pantry’s stats and its community impact.
Last year, the pantry distributed 49,789 boxes of food, with an average of 293 new households seeking food services a month.
“The need is great,” Jones said.
In 2025, the largest number of families served in a single day was 359 people, in September.
The pantry serves around 300 families every day.
Proteins and dairy products are harder to come by and often in short supply, running out in the first 100 people on average, Jones said.
However, thanks to a donation from the Tarrant Area Food Bank, the pantry received a refrigerated truck, which has helped keep food fresh during trips to grocery stores like WinCo, Sam’s Club and Costco to pick up food.
“ Although we’re grateful for cans and nonperishables, for us, the money, monetary donations are the most significant and make the most impact,” Jones said.
The pantry is open to anyone regardless of residency or work status.
Another aspect of the pantry is community involvement.
Jones shared that the pantry partners with other organizations, such as the Texas Health Resources Faith Community Health Promoters and Denton County Public Health, to provide information and inform people about available resources.
“It’s just another way for us to be able to give back to the community,” Jones Maria Jones of the Denton Freedom House staff shares an update about the organization’s Freedom Food Pantry as well as the second Pilot Point Health Fair, planned for the summer, at the Lake Ray Roberts Rotary Club meeting on March 17.
Abigail Bardwell/ The Post-Signal
said.
Then she segued into upcoming events like the Denton Freedom House charity golf tournament on May 15 at the Wildhorse Golf Club of Robson Ranch, and the Pilot Point Health Fair’s second annual event.
The fair provides residents with the opportunity to get checkups and affordable screenings and to learn about available resources, and it’s a collaborative effort by the city of Pilot Point, Pilot Point ISD and the Pilot Point Post-Signal.
“It’s not just purely doctors’ offices and county health officials,” the Post-Signal’s Abigail Bardwell said to her fellow Rotarians. “… [It’s] every component that goes into being able to make sure that people live healthier lives.”
From last year’s stats, about 100 people attended, there were 36 vendors, 14 mammograms performed and 10 units of blood donated.
Jones shared a few of the organizations expected to be there, including Texas Health Resources, Carter BloodCare and the mobile mammogram unit.
With a bigger space this year and a better grasp of what to expect, Jones said the goal is to grow the event, including to receive more food donations for Lovepacs and for the Shepherd’s House.
The event will take place at the Pilot Point High School from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on July 18.
For more information, visit pilotpointhealthfair. org.
