North Texas Food Bank and Tarrant Area Food Bank Announce Transition of Denton County Services
Streamlined hunger relief will better serve the 114,000 Denton County residents facing hunger.
DALLAS/FORT WORTH, Texas, August 14, 2024 – For the past 42 years, the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) and the Tarrant Area Food Bank (TAFB) have jointly served neighbors facing hunger in Denton County, with NTFB serving the eastern part of the county and TAFB serving the western part of the county. The two food banks announced today that they have agreed to transition the support of Denton County entirely to TAFB on January 1, 2025. The decision came after two years of research and evaluation on the best way to close the hunger gap in Denton County.
With the accelerated growth of the Denton County population, NTFB and TAFB partnered with Southern Methodist University (SMU) in 2022 to conduct a comprehensive research study. The study engaged multiple stakeholders on how best to serve the growing need for food assistance in Denton County.
Utilizing the data from the SMU study, the two food banks worked with Denton community leaders and Feeding America to explore all the options for serving the more than 114,000 individuals facing hunger in Denton County. They found that one entity serving Denton County was the best solution for the neighbors, feeding partners, government entities, schools, and other stakeholders.
While both food banks were ready and willing to serve the entire county, NTFB and TAFB agreed to move forward with TAFB being the single food bank operating in Denton County. The transition will begin in August and be completed by December 31, 2024.
“The decision to address food insecurity in Denton County through a single food bank was not made lightly and is a significant step forward,” said Trisha Cunningham, President and CEO of the North Texas Food Bank. “It creates a unified front that keeps neighbors at the center, ensuring better access to food and services county-wide. The change is also good for the Denton-based feeding partners as it provides a new level of consistency and simplifies serving our neighbors by working with a single food bank. We’ve worked earnestly to find the best solution and are committed to ensuring a smooth transition for our neighbors in Denton County and the organizations serving them.”
Recent data from Feeding America’s 2024 Map the Meal Gap study highlights Texas as the leading state in food insecurity, surpassing California, with nearly 5 million residents affected. The Dallas-Fort Worth area ranks highest in Texas and third in the nation for the number of people experiencing hunger. Within the 25 counties served by NTFB and TAFB, 1.2 million individuals, or 1 in 7, face food insecurity, with nearly 40% of them being children—specifically, more than 436,000 children in the DFW area, or 1 in 5.
The number of people facing hunger in Denton County grew 26% from 2021 to 2022. There are 114,180 food-insecure individuals in Denton County and tragically, more than 34,000, or nearly 30%, of those are children.
Last year, NTFB and TAFB collectively provided more than 8.5 million nutritious meals to neighbors facing hunger in Denton County through a network of more than 57 feeding partners and programs, including mobile food distributions, school partnerships and senior feeding programs.
- In FY24, NTFB provided access to almost 5 million meals (4 million physical and 900K SNAP). NTFB has about 25 feeding partners in Denton County
- In the last fiscal year, TAFB provided access to over 3.5 million meals (2.7 million physical and 800K SNAP. TAFB has 32 feeding partners in Denton County.
NTFB will continue to serve in Denton County through the end of the year as a transition team is formed and activated to ensure continuity of services and minimize the impact on neighbors, partners and other community stakeholders. TAFB will be the single food bank operating in Denton County on January 1, 2025.
“The Tarrant Area Food Bank is prepared to expand our support of all of Denton County,” said Julie Butner, President and CEO of the Tarrant Area Food Bank. “We have been growing our resources and recently opened our TAFB North satellite branch, which better equips us to serve not only Denton County but also Cook and Wise counties.”
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About North Texas Food Bank
The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is a top-ranked non-profit hunger-relief organization that sources, packages and distributes food through a network of about 500 Partner Agencies and organizations across 13 North Texas counties. The organization also provides food to children, seniors and families through various direct-delivery programs, including mobile pantries.
In its last fiscal year, the NTFB provided access to more than 144 million nutritious meals or nearly 400,000 meals a day, a 5% percent increase over the prior year. The North Texas Food Bank is designated a 4-Star Exceptional organization by Charity Navigator based on its governance, integrity and financial stability, and is ranked 89th on Forbes 2023 Top 100 Charities in America. NTFB is a member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization. For more information, www.ntfb.org.
About Tarrant Area Food Bank
Tarrant Area Food Bank (TAFB): Communities where everyone has access to the food they need. Through our network of over 500 partner agencies, TAFB provides access to over 1 million nutritious meals weekly to children and adults facing hunger. This work resulted in access to more than 47 million nutritious meals in the fiscal year 2023. Learn more at www.tafb.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jared Williams, Ph.D.
Tarrant Area Food Bank
jared.williams@tafb.org
817-857-7167
Jeff Smith
North Texas Food Bank
Jeff.smith@ntfb.org
469-891-7022
