Fort Worth, Texas-based Tarrant Area Food Bank was awarded a $200,000 grant from the Tom Thumb/Albertsons Foundation’s Nourishing Neighbors Program that aims to help connect qualified individuals with existing federal meal programs. The funding will be allocated to its “Resources, Education Delivered (RED Bus)” mobile program.
Tarrant Area Food Bank has launched this initiative to bring its services to those most in need in Arlington, Texas. At the heart of this program is an ADA-compliant mobile service delivery unit, the RED Bus, a specially built vehicle which provides space for the display and distribution of grocery items and office space for TAFB staff to conduct SNAP enrollment and other community service referrals.
The grant from Albertson’s Tom Thumb, along with city of Arlington funding, will allow the Tarrant Area Food Bank to provide this service to community members.
“This generous donation from Tom Thumb/Albertsons Foundation Nourishing Neighbors will help Tarrant Area Food Bank address hunger issues in our community by connecting individuals in need with federal programs designed to reduce hunger issues,” said Julie Butner, president and CEO. “We’re grateful that Tom Thumb/Albertsons Foundation Nourishing Neighbors are partnering with us to help ensure our neighbors have enough to eat.”
Tarrant Area Food Bank continues to provide community support to relieve the effects of the pandemic, and in deepening its roots in local communities is launching solutions that bring its services to the people in underserved communities where transportation may be lacking. It continues to see record levels of people in need and through this support, it will continue to provide emergency food boxes and offer nutrition education, as well as facilitate enrollment of eligible families into federal benefits programs such as SNAP and Medicaid.
The goal of the “Nourishing Neighbors” program is to ensure those who live in the local communities have enough food to eat.
“We’re always looking for the best ways to fight hunger in the communities we serve. By partnering with organizations like Tarrant Area Food Bank, we know we can make a difference in the lives of our neighbors who are facing food insecurity issues,” said Christy Lara, director of public relations. “We appreciate the work of Tarrant Area Food Bank to help qualifying individuals in our neighborhoods connect with existing federal meal programs.”
