Nick Jonas offers time, cash to food bank

By DIANE JENNINGS / The Dallas Morning Newsdjennings@dallasnews.com

Teenage rock star Nick Jonas pledged $25,000 from his family foundation to the North Texas Food Bank during a tour Saturday that thrilled 140 volunteers, including many from his core audience of young teens.

The 17-year-old heartthrob, the youngest member of the Jonas Brothers band, made the two-hour visit as part of a joint effort with the television program The Biggest Loser and Feeding America, a national network of food banks. The visit came just hours before Jonas kicked off a tour with his new band, The Administration, at Dallas' House of Blues.
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Nick Jonas gives time, money to North Texas Food Bank
01/02/2010
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His performances with The Administration are in addition to his work with his brothers, Kevin and Joe.

The issue of hunger is of particular interest to him, Jonas said, because he is a diabetic and knows the importance of healthful and regular eating. "If there's something I can do to help – volunteer here today or giving a financial gift – that's something I can do," he said.

Jonas made the decision to give $25,000 after a quick consultation with his father, Kevin, after a tour of the facility.

Food bank president Jan Pruitt was pleased by the unexpected contribution and by Jonas' visit.

"This is our next generation of philanthropists," she said. "His time here with these couple of hundred kids that are out here volunteering today – they're going to find out, 'Well, [if] it's important to him, it should be important to me.' "

Jonas spent about a half hour helping assemble bags of food for children's snacks. As he loaded peanuts and crackers into sacks and handed them down the line, starstruck kids snapped his picture.

Pruitt's 10-year-old granddaughter, Serena, who volunteers at the food bank when she visits Dallas, said she had "butterflies in my stomach" after learning Jonas would be visiting the facility.

"He inspires a lot of kids, including myself," she said. "He knows his rights and his wrongs, and he knows that other kids don't have what he has. And he's thankful for what he has."

Another 10-year-old, Darion Segura, said Jonas was a role model because even though he has diabetes, "he can live his life and be normal." Darion planned to send a photo he took of Jonas to his aunt, who has the disease.

Jonas' father watched his son proudly. His three sons have been involved in charitable work and volunteering since they were small, he said. They donated $1.5 million to charity in each of the last two years through their foundation, he said, and Nick "does more than people can imagine."

Nick was born in Dallas, not far from the food bank, Kevin Jonas noted. He and his wife met as students at the nearby Christ for the Nations Institute. The family moved to New Jersey, where the boys grew up, before returning to the Dallas area two years ago.

Nick Jonas said Dallas feels like home now, which is why he decided to debut his new band here.

"Starting the tour here ... felt like the right move," he said. "A Dallas crowd is a good crowd. ... It's always been a good place for us."

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