Nonprofit Waco Goodfellas honored as this week’s TFNB Your Bank for Life Charity Champion

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - A local nonprofit that helps struggling families during the holiday season says being a TFNB Your Bank for Life Charity Champion is one of the greatest honors its had in their 30-year history.

This week’s nonprofit chosen for the honor is the Waco Goodfellas, a group which lives up to their name passing our thousands of holiday gifts.

They say being chosen as a Charity Champion proves the impact their having.

“No doubt I feel that way especially after the honor we’re getting this weekend with the Charity Champion from TFNB,” founder Randy Crook said. “It’s probably the best honor and the biggest honor in the 30 years I’d say.”

Crook was part of a handful of men who started the organization on a small scale over a long conversation three decades ago this December.

“The night it started we were just sitting around talking about how blessed we were in our lives, so we thought we’d give back to the community,” Crook said. “So, we all put in a couple hundred bucks and bought some toys.”

Crook and his friends went to an underserved part of Waco and began passing out toys in an unplanned moment.

“We had a little Mardi Gras parade in the neighborhood throwing toys out,” Crook smiled. “One thing led to another and the next year we put 500 dollars in, and it just grew and grew to the point it is today.”

Over the years the organization has granted the wishes of thousands of families.

Crook was brought to tears talking about an encounter he recently had with a now young man whom the organization gifted with a bed 15 years ago.

“He came into a restaurant I was at the other night, and he said you don’t remember but you brought me a bed 15 years ago and I’ll never forget it,” Crook said. “That was the first bed he ever had.”

The organization has grown to hundreds of members with an annual Christmas in July fundraiser breaking records every year.

“We had over 1,800 people for Christmas in July,” Crook said. “Every year it seems to grow and grow and grow and grow.”

If you would like to nominate a family for help this holiday season you can go to www.wacogoodfellas.com.

The Waco GoodFellas will be honored as a Charity Champion during the Baylor U-T game this weekend at McLane stadium.

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