Funding to support sustainable ecosystems, additional mobile pantries, improved food production, and expanded education efforts
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – Texas Health Resources’ 2025 Growing Good Food initiative has awarded nearly $114,000 in funding to seven area organizations working to make locally grown foods more affordable and accessible in North Texas. The grant program, which kicked off in 2020 as a way to support fledgling urban farms, is implemented by Texas Health Community Hope, Texas Health’s unique approach to promoting healthier futures through a broad range of impactful initiatives, investments, and collaborations. To date, more than $312,000 has been awarded to 15 organizations for a wide variety of efforts that support urban farming and promote community education.
Growing Good Food Awards are part of a larger holistic effort by Texas Health to improve nutrition security across North Texas. The awards are designed to support local organizations that work to make fresh produce and healthy food more accessible, but which may be unable to navigate or qualify for larger, more complicated grant applications.
“We’ve found that some of the best area programs are taking a systemic approach to improve well-being, but they often lack the resources to navigate complex funding applications,” said Matt Dufrene, vice president of Healthy People, Healthy Communities, a part of Texas Health Community Hope. “Our goal is to help these organizations succeed and thrive by supporting the important work they are doing in their communities.”
This year’s grant recipients include:
- Collective Action Network (CoAct) North Texas implements initiatives such as Grow Southeast, which helps grow urban farms, and Funkytown Mindful Market, an artisan and farmers market hosted at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, designed to increase food access and cultural representation in East Fort Worth. Funding will allow the organization to expand educational efforts and support its Market Money program, which offers clients money to spend on local food at the Mindful Market.
- Community Link serves families in Northwest Tarrant County by providing food, case management, and mental health counseling, and through operation of the Azle and Saginaw farmers markets. The project will use funds to improve food production for its Fresh Link Farms initiative and support its Farmer Buyback Program, which allows the organization to purchase produce from farmers at fair market value.
- Erath County Community Garden is managed by the Stephenville 20th Century Club and three area churches to grow and provide fresh fruits and vegetables to local food banks. The project will utilize funds to cover the cost of drip irrigation for its next phase of expansion and add more garden beds, which will allow them to greatly increase the amount of fresh produce supplied to Erath County residents.
- Feed the Streetz Outreach serves ZIP codes 75203, 75215, 75232, and 75180. The nonprofit works to minimize hunger and promote food security in Dallas by providing culturally nutritious foods to individuals and families, particularly those affected by systemic barriers out of their control. The organization will use funding to expand its mobile pantry efforts and introduce “Table Talk” community sessions with the goal of engaging and empowering residents by educating them about the links between diet, health, and lifestyle sustainability.
- New Life Farms in Dallas seeks to create a sustainable ecosystem that provides nutritious organic foods to underserved individuals as well as everyone else in the community. The organization firmly believes food is medicine and taking proper care of the soil is crucial to maintaining the health of the community. New Life Farms plans to use funds to create an onsite farmers market near UNT Dallas, where residents can receive fresh produce and other products.
- Ridglea Giving Garden in Fort Worth is a food production garden that uses sustainable and regenerative methods to grow healthy fruits and vegetables for local food banks. The goal is to educate students and families about healthy living habits and how food is cultivated. Ridglea Giving Garden will use funding to expand its production and education programs, with the goal of producing 2,000 pounds of food within the next year.
- Southside Community Garden is a grassroots initiative designed to increase access to fresh produce by creating home gardens for community members living in Fort Worth’s 76104 ZIP code, which has one of the lowest life expectancies in Texas. Funding will support garden revitalization days involving a network of home gardeners, volunteers, and organizers, which are planned in September and October.
“Nutrition security is a complex problem that starts with access to fresh and healthy foods,” Dufrene said. “One way in which Texas Health is working to address that is by finding local growers and other organizations that are making an impact and ensuring they have the funds they need to expand their efforts and help more people achieve better health and quality of life.”
In 2024, Texas Health Community Hope awarded $105,285 in Growing Good Food Awards to 10 local groups. Other Texas Health initiatives to improve nutrition security and access to healthy foods include Good For You Healthy Hubs, which supply no-cost fresh produce and other healthy staples to families in need; the Double Up Food Bucks program, which allows SNAP recipients to access to free or reduced-cost fresh produce; and the Culled Produce Recovery program, which diverts overripe produce from area landfills to the community and urban farms. Texas Health also leads a comprehensive school learning garden program that supports gardens at nearly 50 schools across five North Texas school districts.
Learn more about these healthy food initiatives at TexasHealthCommunityHope.org.
