Texas Health gives $1.7 million to Taste Project, Eastside Ministries in Fort Worth
Texas Health Resources is giving millions of dollars to community groups in North Texas, including $1.7 million to groups working in Fort Worth.
The nonprofit hospital system is giving $748,314 to the Taste Project, the pay-what-you-can restaurant in Fort Worth. Diners can pay what they can afford, what they would normally pay, or the cost of a typical meal plus a little extra to subsidize other diners. The restaurant, at 1200 South Main St., provides job training and paid culinary experience, and also offers completely free meals to people experiencing homelessness. Texas Health’s grant will support the project’s culinary job training programs, as well as providing access to healthy food and financial literacy courses for participants, according to a news release from the health system.
The Taste Project recently announced plans to open a second location in Arlington.
Texas Health Resources is also giving $954,000 to Eastside Ministries to support a project helping low-income adults in Fort Worth by providing screenings for high blood pressure and diabetes, as well as mental health counseling, food and clothing, according to the release. The nonprofit is focused on five ZIP codes in Fort Worth, and the Texas Health Resources funding will focus on three of those — the 76119, 76104 and 76105 ZIP codes.
Additional grants from Texas Health Resources will support community groups in Parker, Denton, Wise, Collin, Dallas and Rockwall counties.
As a nonprofit health system, Texas Health Resources is required to provide community benefits in exchange for its tax exempt status. The recent round of grands focused on the specific needs of ZIP codes identified by the health system’s Community Health Needs Assessment. Nonprofit hospitals like Texas Health Resources are required to conduct these assessments every three years to identify the greatest health needs in their communities.
The 2022 assessment identified 56 high-need ZIP codes in the Texas Health Resources region. Additional community focus groups narrowed that list down to 32 ZIP codes where Texas Health’s grants will focus.
