Fort Worth, TX- May 5, 2020- Catholic Charities Fort Worth (CCFW) and Tarrant Area Food Bank (TAFB) are partnering once again to use each other’s strengths for good during this challenging time.
As food insecurity rises, confusion about how and where to get healthy food options has become a quickly growing problem. Some familiar church and other community organization food pantries have had to shut down due to safety reasons, some have experienced a lack of donations as their donor base continues to shelter in place, and some are finding their market just doesn’t know how to find them.
TAFB asked CCFW to take on call center functionality to help receive inquiries and assist callers with information that will get them the food they need the quickest. Using CCFW’s Community Care Center, CCFW will utilize TAFB’s robust software system to navigate all local food pantries and mobile events by way of an interactive map that can identify the nearest food sources for a caller and even deliver food by way of CCFW’s transportation fleet.
Tarrant Area Food Bank President & CEO Julie Butner said, “Tarrant Area Food Bank’s number one priority is increasing food access and simplifying the process to find that food. In addition to tafb.org/find-food page, this new call center and delivery service managed in collaboration with Catholic Charities of Fort Worth is a solution our community will cherish. We could not be more grateful for CCFW as a partner.”
“In times of great need, the best thing we can do is put our heads together and amplify each other’s strengths,” said Michael P. Grace, CEO/President of CCFW. “Our teams have been training volunteers, learning the system, and are expecting at least 200 additional calls a week as a result of people seeking essential nutrition. We’re in the perfect place to take this on and support both our community and the food bank.”
People who need food can call CCFW’s main line at 817.534.0814, option 1 anytime between 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. Monday through Friday and will be greeted by a Community Care Center representative for assistance. Call center staffers and volunteers will assist callers with a proxy service that will allow others to pick up food from pantries on their behalf. If the caller cannot travel to the food locations, do not have a proxy and qualify by way of categorical eligibility in other government programs, CCFW will be using their transportation fleet to deliver food directly to those who need it. Counties included are Tarrant, Johnson, Denton, Wise, Parker, Hood, Erath, Palo Pinto, Cooke, Hill, Bosque, Hamilton, and Somervell.
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About Tarrant Area Food Bank
TARRANT AREA FOOD BANK (TAFB) empowers communities to eliminate hunger by providing food, education and resources through innovation and collaboration across 13 counties, including Tarrant County. Through a network of 330 partners, TAFB is able to provide access to over 800,000 nutritious meals each week to children and adults facing hunger. This work resulted in access to 30 million nutritious meals in fiscal year 2019. Learn more at tafb.org.
About Catholic Charities Fort Worth
Catholic Charities Fort Worth (CCFW) is a learning-focused nonprofit with a belief that ending poverty is possible. Our diverse services, poverty solutions, and income-generating social enterprises help tens of thousands in our 28-county diocese each year, most of whom are the working poor. We strategically challenge the way poverty is addressed nationwide by scrupulously testing our own case management methods through research partnerships, exporting our known-solutions to other non-profits, and serving as a resource for what works on Capitol Hill. For more information, please visit us at catholiccharitiesfortworth.org.
