Tarrant Area Food Banks Community Garden Program
Helping community members and organizations create thriving community gardens.
Through the program, TAFB manages the Learning Garden where community members learn about effective gardening techniques while they help tend the garden and grow nutritious fruits and vegetables that are distributed to those in need. Each week, volunteers are invited to come to the TAFB Learning Garden to help plant and harvest fruits and vegetables, pull weeds and learn new gardening skills.
Volunteers also help out in TAFBs Kindred Spirits Kitchen Garden located on the grounds of the organizations Dorothy and Norman M. Kronick building at 2525 Cullen St. in Fort Worth. In addition, TAFB provides garden tours and regular workshops on gardening techniques at the TAFB Learning Garden. The garden is located next to Ridglea Christian Church and The Glass House at 3251 Sappington Place in Fort Worth.
Because of COVID-19, our Gardening classes are now available online.
Here are some ways community gardening helps create sustainable solutions to address hunger.
Food Secure Communities
Increases food security and self-reliance.
Healthy People
Increases vegetable intake and physical activity freshly harvested produce maximizes nutritional content of food
Healthy Budgets
Saves money on food bills over time
Healthy Land
Makes beneficial use of vacant or unproductive spaces
Manage Resources
Turns trash into treasure through repurposing and composting otherwise wasted resources.
Build Community
Families Of Passengers Killed In Boeing Max Crashes Are Crime Victims Fort Worth Judge Rules
The need to expand operations grows as the population grows, which is something Fort Worth has been very good at lately.
We are the second or third fastest growing county in the United States and we are now the 12th largest city in the United States, Butner said. So anytime you have that type of population growth, a subset of the population who is not earning a living wage is in need of our services.
Luckily, Feeding America the parent non-profit to many of the large food banks here in Texas asked TAFB before the pandemic if it could serve as a regional hub for processing produce for families in North Texas and beyond. Its proximity to farmers and interstates in the area made it an ideal location.
TAFB just needed to find the funding and space to make it happen.
To find such a property to house such expansion proved difficult, much less affordable.
But in another stroke of luck, a warehouse space directly across the street from TAFBs headquarters became available and work began recently to acquire it.
Which is a miracle in and of itself, because of where we are located. Property is hard to come by, said Butner.
It will cost about $15 million to purchase and renovate it up to safety standards, including adding refrigeration to process and hold produce in massive amounts.
It will take about nine to 12 months of build-out before its operational.
Right now, about 30 percent of TAFBs product is fresh produce. With this hub, it will grow to more than 50 percent.
Tafb Learning Garden And Kitchen Garden
Not feeling a high-energy event? Our Community Gardens are in season and needing helping hands, too! Whether youre free on weekdays or weekends, theres multiple days per week for the opportunity to volunteer at TAFBs Kitchen Garden located on-site at our headquarters or our larger remote Learning Garden. We harvest thousands of pounds of fresh produce and herbs each year that are sent to local partner agencies, and that yield wouldnt be possible without the assistance of volunteers.
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Tarrant Area Food Bank Expands To Meet Growing Demand As Food Costs Rise
FORT WORTH The price for food rose 13% this past year according to the Consumer Price Index. Its an increase many families in North Texas simply cant afford, and the Tarrant Area Food Bank sees the need growing.
The need is higher than its ever been, even during the highest days of the pandemic, which is really quite shocking, said Julie Butner, President and CEO of Tarrant Area Food Bank, Were very concerned about the number of people who need our support.
Butner said they are prepared to help as many families as the holidays roll around.
To help with the holiday demand, theyve already ordered chickens and turkeys in anticipation of a shortage during this time of year.
Whats more, TAFB is expanding, renovating a 41,000 square foot building into a first-of-its-kind agriculture hub in North Texas right next door to its main distribution center on Cullen Street in Fort Worth.
By creating an ag hub here 50% or more will be fresh produce, which of course is so beneficial to the clients who we serve who are oftentimes living in food deserts or in communities that dont have access to fresh produce, added Butner.
The goal is helping to curb hunger while providing healthy options.
There is a direct correlation between fresh produce and overall well-being in health, and so doing so, we should have an impact on our community and the health of the people who live here, said Butner.
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Find Food & Apply For Food Assistance
Tarrant Area Food Bank delivers food for local food banks in 13 counties. If your family needs food, find food by using our Find Food Map to find your local food pantry.
You may also check the Tarrant Area Food Bank mobile pantry schedule to see the times and locations of when our food trucks arrive. Many of our locations include local organizations such as churches, healthcare facilities, mobile trucks, food banks, schools, the YMCA, and other community centers.
Our community resource specialists at Tarrant Area Food Bank can help individuals and families apply for food assistance. Call today at 1-866-430-6143 to learn more information about how to apply for food benefits.
MOBILE PANTRIES
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Tarrant County Free Food Pantries
Fort Worth and Tarrant County Texas residents have food banks, soup kitchens and free pantries that operate across the county that they can call for help. They give out supplies including groceries, personal toiletries, snacks for children, hot meals, and bags of free canned or perishable food. Some food pantries near you are located in churches, some in local non-profit organizations, and some in government offices. Find information below, as well as a referral number at the bottom of the page for more locations.
Residents of the area can not only call a food bank or pantry for groceries, perishable or nonperishable items, and free food, but they can also learn about other assistance programs. As there are resources that may be available to them. For example, some of the charity organizations as well as churches may offer clothing or limited financial assistance for bills and rent, in addition to free food.
Many have social workers that can help families apply for food stamps or other government benefits, including WIC vouchers or SNAP food stamps. Food pantries will often provide meals around the holidays, including Thanksgiving and Christmas. There are also . If they do not have aid they can offer themselves, the agencies may very well be able to refer you to other organizations in the Arlington, Fort Worth, and Tarrant County region.
Tarrant Area Food Bank Is Launching A Meal Delivery Program To Tackle Food Insecurity
Tarrant Area Food Bankâs home delivery pilot program provides boxes of food to more than 500 clients.
FORT WORTH, Texas â Itâs the weekly delivery that has become a lifeline for Fort Worth resident Erica Mack. For the first time, Tarrant Area Food Bank has soft-launched a meal delivery pilot program.
âThis has kept me going for months on end,â Mack said.
The program, which provides free, home-delivered meals to those who are homebound or disabled, comes during a time in which food insecurity is growing, according to Tarrant Area Food Bank President and CEO Julie Butner.
âItâs the highest it has been even during the height of the pandemic,â Butner told WFAA. âWhy is that? Inflation. Food costs have gone up 13% year over year.â
It helps the homebound and disabled who are struggling to afford groceries in Tarrant County and rural areas like Parker County.
Mack, who is 24 years old, told WFAA she fell on hard times when she lost her job due to a disability. Pretty soon, she had to choose between buying groceries or paying bills. Mack lost her car and found herself unable to access groceries.
âEverything did happen really fast for me,â Mack said.
Her grandmother, who is also a client of TAFBâs home delivery program, encouraged her to apply for help.
âWe just wanna be able to provide the service for people who need the service,â Butner said.
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Tafb West Calling For Community Volunteers
- From staff reports
The new food bank serving Parker and surrounding counties put out a call this past week for volunteers.
The Tarrant Area Food Bank West campus, on Quanah Hill Road along Interstate 20, feeds residents in Parker, Palo Pinto, Hood, Somervell, Hamilton, Erath and Bosque counties. Its 28,000-square feet warehouse, with 8,000 square feet of refrigeration and freezer space, expanded the Fort Worth-based food bank’s service area from six counties to 13.
A ribbon-cutting officially opening TAFB West was held this past spring.
“As food, fuel and housing costs are on the rise due to the current inflation crisis, TAFB West is seeing a rise in food distribution clients in Parker County and beyond,” the call for volunteers says. “However, they are also seeing a shortage of volunteers needed to execute all the necessary feeding programs.”
Those programs include the weekly Mega Mobile distribution from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays and the Mission Market, where the public can shop nutritious foods from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays and from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays.
“Both events rely on volunteers to staff,” the announcement reads. “And the food bank is not seeing the numbers they need to keep these running all summer long”
Volunteers also are needed to help tend the Market Garden from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. every other Wednesday. The garden, directly in front of the feeds both the public and the Teaching Kitchen where people can learn to prepare more healthy meals.
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Distributing Food Where Its Needed Most
With the help of farmers, wholesalers, restaurants, community members, and others, we source the food for over 45 million meals each year. And thanks to our hundreds of partners in the community, were able to get that food to the individuals and families who need it most.
450+ Food Assistance Partners
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Stay Safe And Serve: Volunteer Opportunities During Covid
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tarrant Area Food Bank closed its Distribution Center to volunteers to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This decision was difficult because TAFB relies on volunteers to sort and package all of its food, as shown in our Heart of TAFB video:
Despite this massive loss, volunteers were still eager to offer helping hands at our Partner Agencies, who still held daily off-site food distributions. With the addition of weekly Mega Mobile Markets, volunteer opportunities with TAFB have risen to be plentiful once more. If youve been stuck indoors since March and looking for a safe yet meaningful way to spend your time, check out some of Tarrant Area Food Banks open volunteer shifts right now:
How Can You Volunteer Your Time
- Serve as a volunteer guardian for an incapacitated adult who may need assistance.
- Assist as a bilingual volunteer.
- Provide volunteer clerical support.
- Domestic Relations – Community Supervision Unit
- Other Departments
If you are interested in volunteering your time, please contact the Community Resources Coordinator:
Susan Sodek
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Wills And Living Trusts
In as little as one sentence, you can complete your gift. This type of donation to Tarrant Area Food Bank in your will or living trust, helps ensure that we continue our mission for years to come.
Example: I, , of , give, devise and bequeath to Tarrant Area Food Bank for its unrestricted use and purpose.
If you include Tarrant Area Food Bank in your plans, please use our legal name and federal tax ID.
Legal Name: Tarrant Area Food BankAddress: 2600 Cullen St., Fort Worth, TX 76107Federal Tax ID Number: 75-1822473
Contact Us
For more information on legacy giving opportunities, please contact Stephen Raeside at 817-857-7125 or .
Tarrant Area Food Bank Opens Its Doors In Weatherford
The Tarrant Area Food Bank opens a new hybrid facility in Weatherford.
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 its 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 its 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.
Kelsey Shoemaker
Recommended Reading: Tarrant County Food Bank Locations
Hatton W Sumners Scholars Volunteer At Tarrant Area Food Bank
On Friday, Oct. 15, four of the five Hatton W. Sumners Scholars spent their morning volunteering at the Tarrant Area Food Bank distribution headquarters in Fort Worth. During their 3-hour shift, they helped sort almost 14,000 pounds of frozen food for distribution throughout the area.
The Tarrant Area Food Bank distributed 65 million tons of food in their last fiscal year. This nearly doubling of their distribution since 2019 is a direct result of the ecnomic shifts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and represents a growing need in our area.
Sumners Scholars engage in community service and selected the food bank as their community service project for the 2020-2021 academic year.
The Hatton W. Sumners Scholarship not only provides $5,500 each semester during a student’s junior and senior years, but also offers students the opportunity to attend special conferences and activities, such as the Texas Tribune Festival, held each September in Austin. For more information about the Hatton W. Sumners Scholarship, visit txwes.edu/academics/sumners.
If you are interested in volunteering at the Tarrant Area Food Bank, please visit their website.
Tarrant County Food Bank Volunteer
Additional Information:
Minimum Age, Height and Chaperones:
Individuals as young as 14 years old and 55 inches tall may volunteer in QC in addition: ages 14-15 years old MUST have one adult chaperone for every 1-10 youth. Because Tarrant Area Food Bank is concerned about the safety of all volunteers, there are no exceptions to this policy.
Attire
For safety reasons, all volunteers must wear:
· Closed-toe shoes that cover the entire foot. Sneakers or boots are appropriate.
· Jeans, long shorts and t-shirts are strongly recommended.
· Short shorts and midriff tops are NOT appropriate.
Parking, Etc.
· Please plan to arrive at least 10 minutes early.
· Parking is available in the lot surrounding the building. If this lot is completely full, you may park along Cullen Street or in the parking lot at the 2525 Cullen TAFB Building across the street.
· It is strongly recommended that you leave all personal belongings at home or in the trunk of your car. Tarrant Area Food Bank is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
Please enter through the Volunteer Entrance on Vacek Street and proceed to the Volunteer Sign-In Area.
Donations
Volunteers are encouraged to consider making a donation of a protein food item such as peanut butter, canned meat, etc. Food donation boxes are available at the Volunteer Sign-In Area for your convenience.
Thank you again for all you do to help Tarrant Area Food Bank fight hunger in our community. We look forward to working with you!
Event Description:
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Tarrant Area Food Bank Says Recent Donation A Boon Amid Increased Demand Due To Covid Inflation
TARRANT COUNTY The Tarrant Area Food Bank was one of several North Texas food pantries that received a large donation from the Bank Of America this week.
The food bank got a $25,000 donation that will help fund 125,000 meals.
TAFB said the money couldnt have come at a better time as it continues to deal with a lack of volunteers and an increase in demand due to inflation amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inflation is biting really hard. Even though people are going back to work those paychecks dont go as far as they used to, said Stephen Raeside, TAFB Chief Development Officer.
The difficult burden of pandemic-related issues in a situation thats being seen in the industry nationwide.
In addition to the increase in the need for help from residents who are struggling, volunteer numbers have slid down even further amid the latest wave of the omicron variant.
We were just starting to get our volunteers back but are numbers our way down. We desperately need help to get food out to those hungry families, said Raeside.
He wants North Texans to know the impact that volunteering time or making a cash donation has on community members who receive the help.
Bank of America also donated $400,000 to Crossroad Community Services in Dallas, $200,000 to the North Texas Food Bank.
Click here for information on how to volunteer or donate to the Tarrant Area Food Bank.
Copyright 2021. WBAP/KLIF News. All Rights Reserved.
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Volunteer At Our Community Garden
You are invited to register to volunteer for a garden workday, with TAFB Community Garden.
Learning Garden, 3251 Sappington Place, Fort Worth, TX 76116 Kindred Spirits Kitchen Garden, 2525 Cullen, Fort Worth, TX 76107 TAFB West Garden in Parker County, Weatherford, TX 76087
New Partner Gardens:
Pine Tree Estates Community Garden, 76244 Rooted in Love Garden at Destiny Empowerment, 76014 Garden at Brewer Middle School, 76123 Garden at North Hi Mount Elementary School, 76107 St. Francis of Assisi Garden in Willow Park, 76087 Southside Community Garden, 76104 Child Care Associates Rosedale V, 76105 Child Care Associates Carson, 76117 Child Care Associates – Linda-Kay, 76053 Child Care Associates – Park Lake, 76133 Child Care Associates – Fuller, 76115 Garden on the Hilltop at First Congregational Church, 76109 Taking Roots Garden at Alliance Community Fellowship, 76177 Mansfield Mission Center Clinic, 76063 The Landing at Centreport, 76155 Palm Tree Apartment Garden, 76111
Established Partner Gardens:
For information on becoming a partner garden, please email us at
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