Tarrant Area Food Bank opens agricultural hub to better serve families in need
FORT WORTH, Texas - An expansion at the Tarrant Area Food Bank will help in its efforts to feed the hungry.
It opened a new "agricultural hub" in Fort Worth that will work with farmers to distribute fresh produce to thousands of needy families.
"We’ve got a city that steps up and solves problems for all the people, and this is a perfect example," Pete Geren said.
It took one year from breaking ground to cutting the ribbon, as the lights are now turned on and the Tarrant Area Food Bank specialty hub for produce is in business.
"The fact that you all are here, the value of this community in the county and the city, and all that we do together to make Fort Worth and Tarrant County a better place to live for all of us," TAFB CEO Julie Butner said.
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City, county, and state leaders turned out to cheer on the work, take tours, and celebrate a major effort to erase food insecurity within the food bank’s 13-county region and beyond.
"That is a reality for our kids, to not have applesauce to share with your siblings. Not have cereal in the morning, and certainly to not have fresh produce. And thanks to Julie and this entire team, that will change," Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said.
The game plan is to eventually share produce from this new hub with food banks across Texas, and eventually in Oklahoma - which will share its beef in return - and Arkansas - which will share chicken.
"This ag hub is going to allow us to take full truckloads of one item, tomatoes, or eggs, or whatever, bus, it, redistribute it. We didn’t have that ability before," Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said.
"What’s really exciting about this is that for families who are struggling with food insecurity, protein and produce are the most expensive things they can buy," Butner added.