Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker and other dignitaries will be at the grand opening ceremony and ribbon cutting to welcome the new Sid W. Richardson Foundation Agricultural Hub (AgHub) on Wednesday, Feb. 28, a facility that collects produce from donated farmers and distributes the food to communities in need.
Following the AgHub's completion, the food bank has started receiving donated fresh produce thanks to contracts with regional growers in Arizona, the Rio Grande Valley, and the Tarrant Area, the Tarrant Area Food Bank (TAFB) said in a statement.
By saving and redistributing fresh produce from farm to food bank to fork, The AgHub strengthens TAFB’s ability to support local farmers.
The food bank broke ground on the hub last February. Wednesday's ceremony will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and there will be facility tours.
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The AgHub is viewed by Feeding America, a national network of food banks, as a creative way to end hunger that addresses issues of access to food and food insecurity while strengthening the US agriculture sector.
The Ag Hub is an example of a collaboration between the public and private sectors.
The Texas Department of Agriculture, Tarrant County, the City of Fort Worth, and the Sid W. Richardson Foundation joined forces through funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, with the former making the primary private foundation gift. The Amon G. Carter Foundation made a sizable additional funding contribution, according to the TAFB.
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Over 500 TAFB local partner agencies and other food banks in the area will receive fresh produce processed at the AgHub, which will be sorted and prepared for distribution.
This will provide nourishing food to neighbors in need.
The AgHub will, above all, guarantee that neighborhood farmers receive support and increase the amount of fresh produce available to the nearly 500,000 neighbors who experience hunger annually throughout the 13-county service area served by TAFB.
On 205 North Vacek Street in Fort Worth, Texas, TAFB will formally hold a grand opening ceremony.
TAFB recommended that media representatives attend the grand opening ceremony and the facility tour that follows.
