Kelsey Shoemaker
President and CEO of the Tarrant Area Food Bank Julie Butner cuts ribbon to open new facility.
The Tarrant County Food Bank stretched itself from Fort Worth to Weatherford with its new food bank facility that celebrated its opening with a ribbon-cutting April 14.
Through partnerships, the hybrid food bank will provide resources including a mission market pantry provided by H-E-B, an on-site cooking class led by volunteers, and a garden that will teach the community how to grow plants and what to do with the food once it’s accessible.
“The reason why we did the hybrid model differently here is that we wanted a distribution center but also a pantry and agency where neighbors in need can come and receive service,” president and CEO of the Tarrant Area Food Bank, Julie Butner, says. “We did this because it is in a rural and remote area and it’s hard for people to have reliable transportation or rely solely on public transportation.”
The new 80,000 square-foot food bank is located in Parker County. The reason for them choosing Weatherford as their new food bank location is because of its rural and remote location.
“There's no reason for any woman or child or grandparent to go hungry,” senior manager of public affairs of H-E-B, Danny Flores, says. “The only way our children can continue a good future is with something nurishable every morning and every night. We can make something for someone and make a difference every day.”
Kelsey Shoemaker
Each day, the Tarrant Area Food Bank serves over 1 million meals to communities across the 13 counties and 450 partner agencies. The food bank will have designated opportunities for the community through its innovative solutions to ward off hunger. There are volunteer roles for the garden, the food bank, and the cooking classes. The new facility is geared more toward education purposes and long-term effects.
“During the height of the pandemic, we had a young couple that came to the Fort Worth location,” Butner says. “They were in their early 20s and had a newborn and both of them had lost their jobs that week due to the pandemic. They were afraid, you could see the fear in their eyes and they came to get food. They were a young couple and didn’t know how they would get help. There is a need here and you want to do something to solve it.”
Kelsey Shoemaker
Tarrant Area Food Bank aims to amend the food desert area with its new facility. According to the Annie E Casey Foundation, a food desert is described as a geographic area where residents have minimal resources for affordable and healthy foods.
“A lot of people ask me if hunger is ever going to go away,” Butner says. “And the one thing we are faced with that we haven't been faced with in the past is a rapidly growing population. We are the fastest-growing county in the country. When you have people moving into our counties, there is also a subset of the population that needs help. Sometimes that paycheck doesn't carry. As our population grows, we need to do a better job at serving the more rural and remote areas.”
