LS Tractor Palestine Warehouse: Building Community, One Pallet at a Time
At LS Tractor USA, we believe our work goes beyond tractors. It’s about people – and about making a difference in the communities where we live and work. That spirit is alive and thriving at our warehouse in Palestine, Texas, where Production Manager, Travis Bowlin and his team have found a unique way to turn everyday challenges into opportunities to help neighbors in need.
A Warehouse Rooted in Community
When the Palestine warehouse opened in early 2024, it brought steady jobs to local residents in a town of 19,000. For many families in this area, those jobs meant stability and hope. But Travis wanted more than just to provide employment – he wanted LS Tractor to be a proud part of the community fabric. Travis shared, “We wanted to make connections with the community instead of being just another business around the corner.”
Turning Pallets into Purpose
One unexpected challenge became the spark for something bigger. Every tractor assemble at the warehouse arrives with a front loader on a wooden pallet. These pallets weren’t standard size, making them difficult to recycle or reuse.
Instead of seeing waste, Travis saw potential. A Facebook post offering free pallets led to a connection with Sherry Colbert, who had the idea to repurpose them into benches and crosses. Together with her sister and The Jireh Project, a local nonprofit founded by Tammye Lofton and her husband, those pallets became more than wood – they became symbols of hope. Sherry says she loves to do crafts and paint, and she saw potential in the wooden pallets. She and her sister use the pallets to build benches and crosses, then paint them with beautiful designs and faith messages. These creative designs have always been given away, but when people began offering donations, they decided to start accepting these to support a local nonprofit, The Jireh Project.
Feeding Families Through the Jireh Project
The Jireh Project in Palestine was founded in December 2024 after Tammye discovered that families in her community were going days without food. What started as one food drive feeding 16 families has grown into a mission that now provides over 2,000 meals a year, feeding more than 30 families each month. Tammye says their goal is to share their faith by engaging with people in the community and offering words of encouragement. Their focus is for people to know they matter and are valued.
Thanks to donations and creative fundraising – including benches and crosses made from LS Tractor pallets – The Jireh Project has been able to expand its reach. LS Tractor even helped raise the $750 needed for the nonprofits’ official status by placing a donation jar on one of the benches at the warehouse entrance.
A Partnership Built on Generosity
The collaboration has blossomed. LS Tractor hosted a BBQ in October to welcome The Jireh Project team, strengthening bonds between employees and volunteers. The warehouse also organized a tractor bucket food drive, filling one of their own LS tractors with groceries to support the cause.
Looking ahead, Travis shared “LS Tractor plans to continue making monthly pallet donations to help sustain the program”. Employees are also volunteering to hand out food boxes at a local apartment complex – where one LS employee lives – ensuring the impact is felt directly in their own neighborhoods,
Giving Back on National Day of Giving
As we celebrate the National Day of Giving on December 2nd, we’re proud to share this story of how a simple challenge – stacks of wooden pallets – turned into a powerful partnership that feeds families, builds community, and inspires hope.
At LS Tractor, we know tractors move the earth. But it’s people, working together, who move hearts. And in Palestine, Texas, that’s exactly what’s happening.
Published on December 2, 2025 and written by Kimberly Steele.