Mobile Comunidad, a prominent local nonprofit in Jeff Davis County, confirmed this week that it is facing financial collapse, more than a year after Big Bend Times first raised alarms about the organization’s lack of financial transparency and accountability.
In a May 15 report published by the Jeff Davis County Mountain Dispatch, the organization’s board—Todd Jagger, Stessa Miles, and Teresa Todd—revealed that the nonprofit had lost its café and lodge to landlords due to unpaid rent, and that its bank account had been left with just $32. The board also acknowledged significant outstanding debts and no stable source of income beyond donations.
In December 2023, Big Bend Times reported on unresolved questions about Mobile Comunidad’s financial practices dating back to its separation from the Friends of the Jeff Davis County Library, the nonprofit that initially housed the program. The article detailed a lack of clear public reporting, confusion around its nonprofit status, and concerns over how grant funds and donations were managed during its early expansion. That reporting came after multiple requests for financial information went unanswered.
At the time, Mobile Comunidad was promoting an ambitious slate of services—from school meals to a tourism-focused hospitality academy in partnership with Cornell University—despite offering few details about how those programs were being funded or administered. The group’s prolonged transition to recognized 501(c)(3) status further complicated donor transparency and public trust.
The organization now admits that “something has gone wrong,” citing past management and unpaid obligations, including wages owed to hourly staff. Local businesses and first responders have stepped in to provide temporary support. The Fort Davis Volunteer Fire Department and Jeff Davis County have offered use of the Fort Davis Fire Station to continue preparing student lunches, while the West Texas Food Bank and local donors are helping sustain limited operations.
According to its board, Mobile Comunidad has served more than 13,000 meals to Fort Davis ISD students and nearly all pre-K through elementary students in the district relied on the service this year. But the board’s statement did not directly address the longstanding concerns over transparency, nor did it clarify the full scope of debts or what oversight mechanisms have now been implemented.
The group is now soliciting support through the West Texas Food Bank and continues to ask the public for donations with a promise of “full transparency and accountability.” However, in light of the organization’s history, some community members remain skeptical.
The unraveling of Mobile Comunidad underscores how nonprofits serving critical roles in small communities can falter when financial growth outpaces internal controls—and when early concerns about governance go unheeded.
