Expanding Food Access Efforts To Neighbors In The Heart Of Texas Region WACO, TX – The Central Texas Food Bank (CTFB) took a significant step to bring food access and other services to thousands in the Heart of Texas Region who face the daily uncertainty of finding their next meal.
This morning, the CTFB held a groundbreaking ceremony marking the official start of construction on a new Waco Facility that will serve as a community resource for families including benefits assistance, nutrition education, workforce training programs, and increase food distribution with a warehouse, volunteer sort room and commercial production kitchen.
The planned 64,000 square foot facility is located at 1402 Gholson Road in Waco. It will serve as a northern territory distribution center, positioning services 100 miles closer from its main headquarters in Austin. The Waco Facility will house a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen for hot meal preparation for afterschool meals for children and culinary training programs for workforce development; an on-site pantry giving neighbors in need immediate access to nutritious food; a community garden; and a warehouse for rapid food inspection, sorting and distribution.
Recent data estimates through CTFB’s Food Access Convening Tool (FACT) revealed that neighbors in the nine northern counties of its 21-county service territory — Bell, Coryell, Falls, Freestone, Lampasas, Limestone, Mills, McLennan, and San Saba — face a 19.5% food insecurity rate, compared to 15.4% in southern counties, disproportionately affecting older adults, children and caregivers.
Overall, more than 157,000 Heart of Texas Region neighbors struggle to find their next meal including one in four children. “In Waco and nearby communities, food insecurity is growing,” said Sari M. Vatske, CTFB President + CEO. “Rising costs, limited resources, and a lack of nearby facilities are leaving families, older adults, veterans and children without the nutritious meals they need to thrive.
We anticipate the food insecurity numbers in the nine-county area to increase by 11% in this coming year, highlighting the urgency to expand services.“ The CTFB is the largest hunger relief organization in Central Texas and is the only Feeding America food bank in the region.
The commitment to serving all Central Texans is at the heart of the organization’s mission. Through the support of its partners and generous donors like the Applied Materials Foundation, the largest contributor to the project to date, CTFB can now provide better, faster ways to fill empty tables.
“The Applied Materials Foundation recognizes the vital importance of the Central Texas Food Bank in helping local families have access to the food they need,” said Katie Ferrick, Executive Director of the Applied Materials Foundation. “We’re proud to support the food bank’s new facility and enable greater efficiency to serve an increasing number of families requiring food assistance in the community.”
About the Central Texas Food Bank
The Central Texas Food Bank (CTFB) is the leading hunger-relief nonprofit in Central Texas, working to provide immediate and equitable access to nutritious food for individuals across its 21-county service area. Through a combination of direct-service programs and a network of approximately 240 nonprofit community partners, CTFB supports over 530,000 food-insecure individuals annually.