Fort Worth-based food bank changes distribution days of weekly Mega Mobile Markets
A weekly event that has provided food to thousands of people in Tarrant County and surrounding areas during the COVID-19 pandemic is changing the day of service.
Tarrant Area Food Bank, which was founded in 1982, created the Mega Mobile Markets to meet the increased demand for help at the beginning of the pandemic. The event is now moving from Friday mornings to Wednesday evenings.
At the start of COVID-19, the food bank saw the need to help more people directly after families began knocking on the doors of its Fort Worth warehouse. Julie Butner, the president and CEO of the Food Bank, met a family with a baby who came to the front doors and did not know where to turn.
“They had both lost their jobs. They were so young that they had never experienced job loss, and they had this brand new baby,” Butner told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in July.
At least 16% of Tarrant County residents face food insecurity, according to a 2018-2019 community assessment by the United Way of Tarrant County.
Mega Mobile Markets will be on Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Herman Clark Stadium at 5201 CA Roberson Blvd. in Fort Worth, starting Sept. 8.
Why the change?
The food bank moved the event to Wednesdays because of the Fort Worth Independent School District’s planning for Friday night football games at the stadium, said Michael Polydoroff, spokesperson for the Tarrant Area Food Bank. The organization also hopes to serve more people.
There are three ways for people to qualify to get food at the weekly event: if they receive government benefits, experience a crisis or are eligible due to income.
The organization has seen a leveling off of people coming to the Friday morning event to roughly 1,000. It hopes that by moving the event to after-work hours more people will be able to be served, Polydoroff said.
The food bank receives at least 5 million pounds of food each month from various donors including grocery store chains and the United States Department of Agriculture. The organization decides what items will be used for partners, food pantries and drive-through events across 13 counties.
In July, the organization launched the Resources and Education Delivered (RED) Bus with the city of Fort Worth and Kroger’s Zero Hunger Zero Waste Foundation to bring healthy food options and social services to neighborhoods with little access to resources.
Visit the Tarrant Area Food Bank’s website for information on services, volunteer opportunities and partnerships.
