Every Thursday, Laura Duvall and Tim McBride load up their truck with essential food items, making the 30-mile journey from their ranch in Fischer, Texas, to Texas State University.
Their destination is Bobcat Bounty, the on-campus, student-run food pantry where they’ve become familiar faces among the volunteers and staff. Their weekly donations have become a vital part of the pantry’s operations, but this gesture holds a deeply personal meaning for Laura and Tim.
This commitment is their way of honoring their late daughter, Caitlin Louise Duvall-Hammer, a former Texas State student with a lifelong passion for food and its power to unite people.
Caitlin’s love for food began in childhood, and by age 19, she had dreams of becoming a chef. Determined to learn more about her passion and fulfill her love for traveling, she saved up her money and moved to France. There, she spent a year studying culinary arts at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu, earning her Grand Diplôme de Cuisine et de Pâtisserie.
Her time in France fueled her dedication to the culinary world, but upon returning to the U.S., Caitlin began to see that her true calling lie beyond the kitchen.
With a growing interest in food justice and public policy, Caitlin chose to further her education. She became especially focused on issues surrounding food accessibility, nutrition and the quality of meals provided to students at schools.
“She never missed an opportunity to exercise her political voice,” her stepfather Tim said. “She was indoctrinated early about issues regarding women’s rights and reproductive rights by her aunt, and that same enthusiasm for advocacy carried over to her work in changing the eating habits of the younger generation.”
When Caitlin wasn’t marching on Capitol grounds, working as a sous-chef at the retirement community Querencia Barton Creek or volunteering at organizations like the Austin State Mental Hospital, she was pursuing her Bachelor of Science in nutrition, which she completed in the summer of 2017. Her older sister had graduated from the same program years earlier, and her younger sister followed in her footsteps years later.
She had also just found out she was accepted into the master’s program for healthcare administration at Texas State University.
However, just 11 days before her graduation and six days before her 27th birthday, Caitlin passed away due to complications from a minor cosmetic surgery, which had been a birthday gift to herself. The cause of her death was sepsis.
“You don’t realize how dangerous those common outpatient procedures can be until it’s too late,” Laura said. “Her gift to herself was to trim the love handles off her ‘horrible’ waist, which, when you think about it, is just ridiculous that the whole thing happened.”
Caitlin’s parents fondly remember that on the day of her funeral, a group of 50 residents from the retirement community where she had worked rented a bus to attend, a testament to the deep impact she had on their lives and the lasting relationships she had built during her time there.
Following Caitlin’s death, one of her professors, Karen Brasfield, reached out to Laura and Tim to check on them, knowing how close she had been with Caitlin. Caitlin had often shared with her parents how much she admired Brasfield for the grace with which she handled grief after experiencing her own losses. Caitlin’s parents remember how she would always express her wish that they could meet one day.
And while they did eventually meet, it was under circumstances none of them could have ever imagined.
During their conversation, Brasfield mentioned a new organization, Bobcat Bounty, that was being started by the students and advisers of Caitlin’s old department and mentioned that they were always looking for donations.
By April of the following year, Laura and Tim had become regulars with the organization. Initially, delivering kale to the pantry, they soon inquired whether eggs were accepted, as they had an abundance of eggs from their ranch yet didn’t eat them themselves.
Now, they deliver provisions such as eggs, rice and beans every week, even if it means using their own time and funds to purchase them when they can’t gather enough from their ranch. Additionally, they try to donate produce during seasonal peaks, including zucchinis, peppers and tomatoes.
“We need more people like them in the world,” said Lesli Biediger-Friedman, one of the co-founders of the Bobcat Bounty organization. “Their contribution does not go unnoticed even though they never ask for anything in return.”
The irony is Laura and Tim don’t view their involvement as anything extraordinary. For them, helping their neighbors is simply the right thing to do, especially when it’s a cause that Caitlin would have deeply supported.
Caitlin’s parents also want students to be aware of the two endowment scholarships established in her name. One for an undergraduate student in nutrition and one for a graduate student in healthcare administration.
These scholarships were started by Laura and Tim along with the doctor who performed Caitlin’s surgery, and their hope is that the money awarded can help students who are struggling financially.
By regularly supporting Bobcat Bounty, they are not only keeping Caitlin’s memory alive but also making a tangible impact in the fight against food insecurity. What began as a simple act of giving has turned into an ongoing commitment to a cause that continues to resonate with them and their community.
