Funding seed initiatives to improve North Texas’ healthy food system and make locally grown, nutritious foods more affordable and accessible.
What began in 2020 as a way for Texas Health Resources to support the infrastructure needs of two emerging urban farms has evolved into a unique community awards program aimed at improving nutrition security in North Texas. Texas Health Community Hope, Texas Health Resources’ mission to improve community well-being, today announced a $100,000 donation to 10 local organizations working to make healthy food more affordable and accessible. announced a grant of $5,285.
Now officially in its second year, the Growing Good Food awards program is working to improve the healthy food system in North Texas, but lacks the capacity to process large and complex grant applications. The aim is to support organizations that Since the program began in 2023, 12 local organizations have received a total of $198,285.
“We understand the barriers many organizations face when seeking funding. We want to ensure that well-meaning nonprofits have the resources they need to drive positive change in their communities. We want to remove some of those hurdles so people can access it,” said Matt Dufresne, vice president of Texas Health Community Hope. “We looked for projects that took a holistic and systematic approach to making locally produced, healthy and affordable food available in their communities. It shows.”
they are:
Fort Worth’s Tabor Farms addresses food and community inequality by growing food and transforming communities. Taber Farms will use the funds to renovate the well shed, which houses a well that extends 650 feet underground. The water provided by that well is essential for irrigating the urban farm. Community Link of Saginaw will develop Freight Farm, a community farm that will make farm-fresh food available to the community. This cargo farm will support Community Link’s food pantry and farmers market, providing fresh vegetables to up to 1,000 families. Community Link also helps other pantries serve the greater community by selling some of their produce at their own farmers markets. The Southside Community Garden will address food inequity in the 76104 ZIP code, home to residents with the lowest life expectancy in Texas. Southside Community Gardens currently operates 80 gardens in the homes of various local residents, allowing them to grow their own fresh fruits and vegetables. Funds will help revitalize these gardens with fresh soil, mulch, seedlings, fertilizer and other supplies. Fort Worth’s Timberview Farm educates and empowers youth in Tarrant County and beyond to live more deeply rooted lives through farm-based learning and farm embrace. Unreasonable hospitality. Timberview Farmstead provides neighbors with a monthly subscription box of community-supported produce to help them maintain healthier eating habits. Tarrant County Food Policy Council: Fort Worth Urban Agriculture helps individuals and organizations learn to grow healthy food for themselves and their communities. sustainable way. The nonprofit organization will use its awards to provide tours of successful local farms and community or school gardens to learn more about how local gardens and farms improve their communities. understanding and provides hands-on learning opportunities for participants. Fort Worth’s Ridgely Giving Garden (RGG) cultivates community garden space and produces healthy food for neighbors in need. Once operational in early 2024, RGG plans to purchase the materials and tools needed to maintain the gardens, as well as fund improvements to the grounds. New Life Farms in Dallas provides fresh produce in the heart of multiple food deserts. Its mission is to empower and nourish communities by fostering vibrant, sustainable oases. In addition to growing fresh fruits and vegetables, New Life Farms provides training to Texas A&M University students and community members. With this award, New Life Farms will provide water and electricity to the urban farm. Grow North Texas in Dallas connects North Texans with food, farms, and community. We believe that sustainable local food systems enrich the land, provide economic opportunity, and increase equitable access to healthy, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food for all residents. With this award, Grow North Texas will support the Owenwood Farm project, which provides a living demonstration of what can be done with vacant land in Dallas. NTX Urban Roots DBA Funkytown Food Project (Crawley) integrates agriculture, enterprise, and services to provide a rigorous, hands-on urban farming experience. The nonprofit will purchase a used refrigerated van that can maintain the integrity of fresh food during transportation, allowing it to expand its food delivery service to more communities in need. Grapevine’s CC Food Project (Compost Carpool) bridges the gap between abundance and hunger. Food recovery — The act of recovering fresh edible food that would have been thrown away. The organization also champions local farms and teaches food preservation skills. With this award, CC Food Project will rescue more culled produce and show communities how to extend the life of fruits, vegetables, and other food items.
In 2023, the Growing Good Food Award helped the Tarrant County Food Policy Council organize farm and garden tours and share best practices to address challenges facing agricultural producers. FunkyTown Food Project hires summer interns to develop leadership skills through food and agriculture. YMCA Camp Carter re-established a sustainable community garden. Restorative Farms grew crops and distributed thousands of community-supported agriculture boxes. And Compost Carpool has established the region’s first urban composting facility point of contact.
“The pandemic has taught us that undernutrition is a serious concern in many of the communities we serve, and that healthy eating is the key to healthy living. We know that,” Dufresne said. “These Growing Good Food awards are just another way we are working to improve the health of people in the communities we serve, beyond the walls of our hospitals.”
The increase in Good Food Awards is part of a larger effort by Texas Health to improve nutritional security across North Texas. This includes initiatives such as the Good For You Healthy Hub and Double Up Food Bucks, which provide families with access to free or low-cost fresh food. Texas Health is also leading an inclusive learning garden initiative that supports urban farmers and helps build or restore gardens in 40 local schools across five school districts in North Texas.
Earlier this year, the Texas Department of State Health Services also teamed up with Gallup to conduct a study in Dallas, Parker, and Tarrant counties to identify the underlying factors contributing to nutritional insecurity. The results of this report are expected to be published by the end of 2024.
To learn more about these healthy food initiatives, visit TexasHealthCommunityHope.org.
