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<\/p>\nInside the Central Texas Food Bank\u2019s new Waco Hub, neighbors can walk through a market, grab a shopping cart and browse the aisles stocked with canned goods, fresh produce and meats just like any traditional grocery store.<\/p>\n
In addition to the market, the new 64,000-square-foot hub will house dry and refrigerated warehouse spaces, a commercial and teaching kitchen, benefits counseling, and workforce training.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe building is not the accomplishment,\u201d CTFB CEO Sari Vatski said at the ribbon cutting ceremony. \u201cWhat happens inside of it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Waco Hub celebrated its grand opening on August 24, though it has been serving families in the Waco area since its soft opening August 4.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven as we stand here, there are families waiting for food. Every day since we’ve opened, there have been people standing outside this building waiting for us to be ready,\u201d Vatske said.<\/p>\n
But Vatske says the food bank isn’t just trying to move more food. It’s also trying to change what it feels like to need help.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere can be a stigma, there can be shame in needing support,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The new CTFB Waco Food Hub is designed with an on-site market stocked with basic food items. People in need of assistance can shop the market like a traditional grocery store. <\/p>\n
That’s why the new hub includes an on-site market designed to feel more like a grocery store.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want them to feel a sense of relief \u2013 that they are seen, they are supported,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Jeremy Everett is the Executive Director at Baylor\u2019s Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty. With inflation driving up food and gas prices, he said the facility\u2019s opening couldn\u2019t come sooner.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe misnomer oftentimes is that people that are food insecure actually are not working. But the reality is, people are working, they\u2019re just underemployed,\u201d Everett explained.<\/p>\n
The Waco Hub, located at 1402 Gholson Road, is the food bank\u2019s first location outside of Austin.<\/p>\n
That decision, Vatske said, came from a data driven approach.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are looking at about nineteen percent food insecurity rate (in the nine northern counties) versus seventeen percent overall,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
In addition to direct community service in Waco, the new facility with also serve the nine northern counties in CTFB\u2019s 21-county service area. Those counties include Bell, Coryell, Falls, Freestone, Lampasas, Limestone, Mills, McLennan, and San Saba counties.<\/p>\n
Everett said that could be especially important as changes to SNAP increase demand on food banks and pantries.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means that we’re getting more coverage for the Waco community to be able to access the food they need to live and flourish as God intended,\u201d Everett said.<\/p>\n
And the East Waco location provides extra support for a community facing the highest rates of food insecurity in Waco.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis facility is really meant to be a front-facing community resource,\u201d Vatske said. \u201cSo we wanted it to serve those who might need it most.\u201d<\/p>\n
Got a tip? Email Molly-Jo Tilton at\u00a0Molly-jo_tilton@baylor.edu.<\/p>\n
KWBU is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider\u00a0making a tax-deductible gift\u00a0\u00a0today.\u00a0Thank you.<\/p>\n
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