Chaos, confusion and conspiracies plague Dallas nonprofit at center of I-Team investigation
The Hunger Busters name still appears on the organization's old headquarters and its big truck is still parked outside, but the non-profit is no longer operating at the property on Sylvan Avenue in West Dallas, following a CBS News Texas investigation that uncovered evidence of possible fraud.
The I-Team found that the organization had been fundraising on false claims that it was delivering daily meals to thousands of food-insecure Dallas ISD students. Some schools identified as recipients of those meals told CBS News Texas they hadn't received a delivery in years.
In response to our reports, the Hunger Busters board announced it had voted to request the resignation of its CEO Latame Phillips, who had continued soliciting funds for the non-existent meal deliveries.
Since then, the charity's website and social media accounts have gone dark.
The delivery van it had purportedly used to deliver meals remains parked at the house belonging to Phillips, who, it appears, still has all of the bank records and donation information.
Sources tell the I-team that in his last meeting with the board, Phillips refused to take a leave of absence so that a forensic accounting investigation could take place and instead told trustees that he would dissolve the non-profit.
In the days following that meeting, though, Phillips agreed to resign.
An email written by Phillips on Jan. 27 confirms he was stepping down "for the good of the organization."
A series of conflicting announcements, though, revealed confusion over who is now in charge at the Dallas non-profit Hunger Busters as it works to restructure.
Dueling CEO announcements
"When I saw the news about this, it broke my heart," said Jason Garza, who remembers when meal deliveries were taking place before the pandemic forced schools to close.
He was the vice president of operations at Hunger Busters from 2018 to 2020, when he was fired for allegedly misusing resources, a claim he denies.
His previous experience led the board to appoint him as interim CEO.
"There were times when I was here 15-20 hours a day. So it meant a lot to me," he said. "I love this place. I grew up with it."
An email sent by board chair Dee Baker Amos on behalf of the Hunger Busters board announced the appointment of Jason Garza as interim CEO, touting his previous experience.
"He played a key role in building trusted relationships with churches and schools across our community – relationships grounded in integrity, consistency, and care for the families we serve," Amos' statement said.
Garza says he is already reaching out to former volunteers and donors to restart operations.
On his first official day, though, his old boss, the one who fired him, returned.
Hunger Busters' board members received a separate e-mail from Trey Hoobler, who served as the charity's CEO from 2014 to 2022, announcing that he will be stepping in as CEO.
Hoobler's message, sent from Hunger Busters' official email account, did not mention Garza or address his appointment.
"I have now returned to the CEO role," Hoobler wrote. "My focus is to maintain uninterrupted production, stabilize the organization, address the pending lawsuit, and begin rebuilding trust."
In his email, Hoobler also claimed Amos was no longer board chair "due to the term limits stated in the bylaws and the lack of governance" and invited other board members to join him for a Zoom call on Wednesday.
"If I do not hear from you, I will assume you have chosen not to continue with us in 2026," he wrote.
"How to you appoint yourself the CEO when the board of Hunger Busters is responsible for doing that? In my mind, I'm just thinking to myself.. it's all part of a cover-up and conspiracy," said Garza.
It was Hoobler who hired Phillips as a delivery driver and trained him to become CEO in 2023.
In an interview posted in October 2023, Hoobler called Phillips a "tremendous, dynamic person" who he believed "truly has the intellect and the passion and the drive to serve the community."
The support came despite Phillips being convicted of felony theft a year before he joined the organization.
A day after the I-Team questioned Hoobler about what authority he had to appoint himself as CEO, though, Hoobler sent a follow-up email saying he would no longer pursue the role.
War of words over leadership
Amos responded to Hoobler's self-appointment, calling his email "disturbing, inappropriate, and inconsistent with the direction agreed upon during our Friday Board call."
Hoobler's "sudden 'takeover' email reads as an attempt to disrupt or suppress an independent, unbiased review of Hunger Busters' financials and operations and to interfere with the forensic accounting investigation the Board has already committed to initiating," she said. "It is also notable that Trey recognized me as Board Chairperson when it served him – particularly when he wanted me to be the face of the mess – yet now attempts to override Board direction and governance when accountability is required."
Amos ended the email announcing her own resignation as board chair.
Hoobler has not responded to questions from the I-Team, but sent an email saying, "I don't have the answers you need, I'm not privy to the information."
Garza, the apparent interim CEO, called Hoobler's attempt to install himself "all part of a cover-up and conspiracy."
"There's something there that they want to cover up," Garza said in an interview.
As of Tuesday afternoon, he said he had not spoken with the board, but still hoped to serve as interim CEO.
Departing CEO has not turned over keys, financial records
In a letter accepting Phillips' resignation, the board ordered the departing CEO to turn over all documentation of finances, fundraising, donor lists and more by January 30 to both Amos and Hoobler, as well as keys to the Hunger Busters building.
Timestamped photos, though, show Phillips at the Hunger Busters building as recently as Jan. 30, three days after he resigned. The person who took the photos told the I-Team that Phillips appeared to be loading items from the property into the trunk of his personal vehicle.
Phillip declined to answer questions from the I-Team. A written statement said, "This reporting has caused safety concerns for myself and other board members had expressed being worried for their safety as well prior to my resignation."
As of Tuesday, Amos said she had not received any records from Phillips.
It's unclear who remains on the Hunger Busters board. In addition to Amos, at least seven of the trustees told the I-Team they have resigned.
Report filed with Dallas Police Financial Crimes Unit
Garza now remains the heir apparent to a nonprofit still struggling to answer questions about the donations it received.
"Where was the money going? What was it being spent on?" asked Garza.
Those questions now lie with Dallas police. A former consultant to Hunger Busters has filed a police report.
Garza says it may be the only way to find out what really happened to the donations.
"I deeply think there should be a criminal investigation," he said. "If you misused that money.. you should be charged for that. Again it was intended for the kids. That's who we're here to serve, the children - we're not here to serve ourselves.
Additional excerpts from Amos's email to the board are below
"As you will recall, I asked Trey to provide assistance in the transition and gave him the title "Board-Designated Transition Lead for Records & Access" because he assured me he could work with Latame and deliver all of the documents referenced in our January 27, 2026, letter accepting Latame's resignation. I now understand this was simply a ploy, and that there was no intention of handing over the accounts and funding documents, particularly if he, too, might be implicated. Again, I was Board Chair at that time, acting in good faith to secure records and continuity.
"I also want to share a critical development: we learned yesterday that Hunger Busters has not had possession of the Sylvan Avenue building since Summer 2025. This helps explain recent reporting noting a lack of visible activity. This is exactly the kind of material discrepancy that underscores why an independent review is necessary and why we must act with urgency and integrity.
"To be clear: I believe the risks here are significant—legal, reputational, operational, and moral. The volume and consistency of concerns raised to me has been astonishing, and it is deeply troubling.
"My advice, as a concerned human, is that each of you should remove yourself as quickly as possible from further exposure associated with anyone claiming or holding the 'CEO' title outside of Board authorization, and that we reject Trey's self-appointment outright.
"Accordingly, I recommend the Board take the following actions immediately:
- Formally reject Trey Hoobler's self-appointment as CEO in writing.
- Reaffirm Jason Garza as Interim CEO as our authorized leader and spokesperson for operations.
- Proceed without delay with the forensic accounting investigation and preserve all relevant documents, communications, and records.
"As of today, I am stepping away from Hunger Busters, effective immediately, as Trey's latest move is an example of what happens when I ask questions and try to do what is right and just. As shared on the Board call on Friday, January 23, 2026, I have been asking questions. I have been pointing out discrepancies. For instance, I asked Latame why Trey was still on the Hunger Busters payroll when he was not providing any value and directed Latame to terminate Trey's 'employment.' And I have been asking for Latame to resign and have repeatedly told Trey I do not think it is in the best interest of the organization for him to lead. Remember, he hired Latame, and they worked together for years. And while he has not served on the Board for the past year, he has been privy to the actions of Hunger Busters."
