According to the USDA, food deserts are places where people have limited access to healthy and affordable food, the poverty rate is greater than 20%, and a third of the population are more than 1 mile from a major grocer. Food deserts are a Public Health issue in the State of Texas. According to the Dallas Morning News, “City officials said in 2017 that nearly 20% of Dallas County's population faced food insecurity and lacked access to fruits and vegetables in their diet. The Highland Hills community, which has a median income of about $37,800, is considered a food desert because of its lack of grocery stores.” Now after covid-19 has hit, the need for community gardens, food banks and other healthy alternatives are dire. While some food shopping takes place outside South Dallas, much is at small neighborhood markets and convenience stores, which is what makes the area a true food desert. We can solve two issues with one solution. The other issue we are facing is the City of Dallas air quality. The two key air quality issues facing the City of Dallas are ground level ozone and the emission of greenhouse gases that effect global climate change. Our target audience and users will be South Dallas residents and business owners. Residents generate $58 million in grocery spending – sufficient to support 3 full-scale grocers, despite making $42,000 average compared to $96,000 in DFW – with 60% earning less than $35,000.
Commissary is Very Necessary is tackling the problem one zip code at a time to ensure the residents in locations considered Food Deserts have the proper nutrition, groceries and alternative means to have healthy and balanced meals. Creating green infrastructure in our communities, passing out free groceries monthly and educating the residents about the environmental catastrophes in their neighborhood changes the issues one minute at a time.
Commissary is Very Necessary (CIVN) is a nonprofit 501c3 opportunity community development organization providing communal services, resources and support to homeless children, homeless veterans, minority communities, grass root organizations, schools, and families that are in low income communities.
(BODY) Survival — financial health.
(MIND) Growth and development — economic growth, customer growth, innovation of new products and services, increasing professional and institutional competency.
(HEART)Relationships — strong synergy, strong external networks, and partnering, teamwork, trust, caring, valuing differences.
(SPIRIT) Meaning, integrity and contribution — serving and lifting all stakeholders: customers, suppliers, employees and their families, communities, society — making a difference in the world.
Our Intent
Equity is central to CIVN’s purpose: to inspire and support creative problem solving, within and across sectors, to make our region better for everyone.
TO INSPIRE AND SUPPORT CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING
Diversity of thought is a critical ingredient in creativity and innovation. Communities are smarter and stronger when they draw from a wide variety of experience, perspective and wisdom.
TO MAKE OUR REGION BETTER FOR EVERYONE
CIVN is about place — a region of three states and 23 Native nations. This region’s future will be defined by how well every person in it does — at home, in school, at work and in the community. This region’s future, therefore, depends on institutions and systems that work well for all people. Too many do not.
This is not just about whether organizations are intentionally excluding or disadvantaging people. Racism, for example, is not only hateful acts. Racism can also be embedded in policies and practices that are well-intended and meant to work for all, but just don’t. Organizational failings, big and small, can combine to systemically exclude and disadvantage people. These barriers can limit individual opportunity and limit our collective regional potential.
Every person in our region can impact institutions and systems. Institutions and systems are created and perpetuated by people. To change institutions and systems is to change the minds and the actions of people. There is a role for all of us to play.
At CIVN, we believe that bridging cultural differences and adapting organizations to work well for everyone are essential skills for leaders to be relevant and effective — whatever their purpose and whatever their politics. These are skills one has to learn and practice.
It is learning about and understanding your own history and context and why you think and act the way you do. It is learning about and understanding other people’s history and context and why they think and act the way they do. And it is empathetically adapting to work effectively across differences.
It is the ability to examine policies and practices to see who may be excluded or disadvantaged by them, regardless of the intent. And it is the ability to work with those affected by policies and practices to design and redesign them to work well for everyone.
Within CIVN, we are working on these skills to bring an equity lens to all we do.
Organization name
Commissary Is Very Necessary Inc
Causes
Community Improvement, Environment & Conservation, Social Services
Operating Budget
$100,000 - $249,999
Counties Served
Dallas, Tarrant
BIPOC Serving
Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx
BIPOC Leadership
Both the Executive Director/CEO and Board Chair
Equity Statement
Equity Statement
Address
1431 HONOR DR