About Carol’s Kindness Food Pantry
What we Do
Our non-profit rescues usable food and supplies that would have otherwise been thrown away.
We work with local grocers, restaurants, and other food industry sources, as well as other food pantries to convert food waste into a reliable source of healthy food to our local community.
We purchase staple food items to supplement our donated foods to broaden our offerings and to have shelf stable items available.
Vision & Goals
Now that we have secured a reliable venue for our pantry, our goals are to have:
- Walk-in cooler big enough to store produce for 150 families
- Donations to support all this
If you can help with our goals, please contact us.
Our Mission
We are a nonprofit organization rescuing food from grocery stores, restaurants, and warehouses and sharing it with food insecure people in East Austin.
History
In the beginning, it seemed like such a simple thing, Carol had a new baby pig and the pig needed some greens. She was certain one of the grocery stores that were throwing away leaves would give her some. Most of them refused, but one came through and said come back and pick it up. What they didn’t say is they were giving her about 10 pounds of greens, a very large box for a very teeny piglet.
A lot has changed in the last 11 years. Carol has gone from picking up a single box and sharing it with several neighbors to a huge operation that regularly involves more than 20 trips a week to collect 7 to 10,000 pounds of food. The operation also has also grown from a few neighbors picking up on the front porch to a pantry operating out of the Gus Garcia Recreation Center on Rundberg Lane, and sending home multiple bags of food with between 150 and 200 families every week.
We became an official non-profit in October 2024, allowing us to receive tax-deductible donations and grants. We have established more partnerships to receive and distribute food and joined the Central Texas Food Bank in June 2025 expanding our fresh offerings significantly.
Team Biographies
Carol Rabun
FounderCarol was raised in Odessa, Texas, and lived through a lot of rolling sand storms. She married Jerry Rabun in 1963 and they have lived in Austin since January of 1970. Carol worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone, grocery stores, banks, as a school bus driver, title company, foster parent, and owned a childcare center till 2001 when she retired. She has two children, six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Dianne Koehler
Pantry Coordinator, Financial OfficerDianne grew up in mid-state Illinois and moved to Texas in 1971. She is a retired registered nurse and long time non-profit volunteer with various organizations. She has written grants and administered grants for the library in Wells Branch and Carol’s Kindness+. Dianne organizes and manages the Saturday pantry. She and her husband started their own Charitable Fund in 2022 and are a financial donor to Carol’s Kindness+.
Pumba
Chairman of the BoarIn 2014, Carol and her husband were given an 11-week-old micro mini pig. They were his third family in his short life. He was the size of your hand. Then with good care and good nutrition he grew and grew and grew into a 250 pound love bug. He loves to be brushed and has trained his pig parents well!
Our Pantry Angel Donors
Thanks for making it possible to add healthy staples to our donated foods
and a larger freezer and refrigerators to accommodate the perishable donations.
We couldn’t do this without your support!
$1000+
- George and Dianne Koehler Humanitarian Charity
- Eggroll man
- Ruth Wilmore
- Sarah and Iain
- Crandall Chow
$500-999
- Robert Marsh
- Sarah Czyzak
$250-499
- Hanna Rabin
- James Koons
- Lois Kantor
- Patsy Haden Oliphant
$100-249
- Jennifer Cortez
- Laurie Drucker
- Mary Jane Pena
Volunteers
We are thankful for all of our volunteers. We couldn’t do it without you!
Racial Equity Statement
We at Carol’s Kindness Plus are committed to creating an environment that is diverse, inclusive, and equitable, where all volunteers, partners, vendors, and board members are treated with respect and dignity.
For the purposes of this statement, diversity refers to race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual identity, family status, age, disability, and socio-economic status. Inclusion is valuing, respecting, and encouraging the full participation of everyone in the life and leadership of the organization. Equity is a process that ensures all people have the opportunity to contribute, develop, and grow despite historical, structural, legislative, racial, and socio-economic inequities.
We are an organization that celebrates the rich diversity of our area. We will not tolerate discrimination, biases, harassment, or bullying of any kind. We are committed to equity in all facets of our work – to help build a just society where hunger is eliminated through equitable access to power and resources.
We strive to provide an equitable food system in which all — including those most vulnerable and those living in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color — can fully participate, prosper, and benefit. Food equity which is the belief that people should have equal access to and the ability to grow and consume healthy, affordable, and culturally-significant foods and know exactly where their food came from and how it was grown.
We believe strongly that all people should have a choice of their food and work to support culturally appropriate food availability. We commit to taking actions to address racial injustice that are within our sphere of influence. To support work that reduces barriers to food availability and to serve as a referral source.
Carol, thank you so very, very much. Your kindness and generosity has TRULY made a big difference to my family these past few weeks.
