We hear frequently from thankful clients about their experience with WestAid:
-Great food bank, very helpful people. - L.H.
-Give great food, dog food and diapers. - R.S.
-Amazing place. I am so grateful they are here. - V.H.
-They are very well organized and very nice to everyone. I'm very grateful to them for all the help they given me. - B.B.G.
-Very wonderful place. They are so kind and generous. Really make you feel welcome and not judged. Keep up the good work. - N.J.
For nearly 40 years, WestAid has been providing resources to food-insecure households, serving more than 10,000 families per year in Zip Codes 76107, 76108, 76109, 76114, 76116 and 76126. While these are some of the most economically and socially diverse areas of Fort Worth, Como and Las Vegas Trail are two of seven areas focused on by the city of Fort Worth as high-poverty neighborhoods. Poverty levels are higher than the Tarrant County average in four of the six zip codes Westaid serves, with the largest disparity seen in the 76114 and 76116 zip codes – 15 and 19 percent are below poverty level, respectively, compared with 11 percent for Tarrant County overall.
CURRENT NEEDS
For over three years WestAid has been operating in an overcrowded space that limits our volunteers’ and staff’s ability to adequately serve clients and restricts our superior customer service. The COVID-19 Pandemic forced our distribution outside to a sidewalk service model. There have been days that over 150 households were provided food within a 2-hour timeframe. The high numbers in need and limited waiting space has forced our program to remain outside in sidewalk-service mode. A modified client choice program is offered on Mondays, but it is critical to bring people back inside and offer a personalized, client-choice shopping experience for everyone.
WestAid will soon be moving!
To better serve clients, especially those in our immediate area, WestAid is moving to a larger space about 60 yards to the east of our current location. While a generous grant from a local foundation will cover moving and renovation costs, the new space will increase the annual budget by about $2,000 monthly.
Healthy Fare Fund to Support Collaborative Programming through New Partnership with Cook Children’s
WestAid will, in three years or so, when it is complete, be the onsite food resource for the new Cook Children's Health System Community Clinic that will be constructed in our area. The clinic will also include an adult clinic through the JPS Health Network. In the meantime, WestAid will support the partnership through collaborative programming, to include community events. A major aspect of the Cook Children’s partnership is WestAid’s increasing focus on healthy, nutritious, and diet-specific food resources. Healthy food options are often available, but a goal is to make healthier fare available every day. In addition, there are patients who require very specific dietary needs. These items are not often not kept in stock and will require purchase.
COMMUNITY IMPACT
In addition to improved health and well-being, ample research supports the benefits of simply having enough to eat. Students perform better in school, are less likely to become ill, and more likely to graduate from high school and go on to college. Adults are better able to successfully fulfill family and personal responsibilities and function productively.
How Your Gift Helps
$30 provides 3 sack lunches for homeless neighbors.
$50 provides one prepacked bag of canned fruits, vegetables, soups, canned meats, cold items & frozen goods.
$100 provides a Client Choice bag for a family of 4 with items chosen from WestAid’s weekly shopping list of available foods, including meats, produce, bread, snacks, canned, frozen and dry goods.
$250 provides about 125 pounds of fresh produce and supports current efforts to offer healthier options for clients daily.
$500 feeds about 70 WestAid clients.
$1,000 provides 10 weekly Client Choice shopping experiences for a family of 4, including meats, produce, bread, snacks, canned, refrigerated, frozen and dry goods.
Your support of WestAid is greatly appreciated!
Thank you for helping us to make sure that those in our community are fed.
WestAid is a network of caring people in Southwest Tarrant County providing food resources for needing neighbors who are experiencing food insecurities.
Vision
Elevating by empowering families and increasing food security through support, engagement, and education.
WestAid’s Equity position is most clearly spelled out in the organization’s Core Values. In addition, organization staff and volunteers are also bound by the nondiscrimination policies of Tarrant Area Food Bank and USDA (for more information, please see below).
CORE VALUES
-Dignity: We acknowledge the inherent worth and self-esteem of each individual.
-Respect: We believe human beings were created in the image of God and should be treated with respect.
-Stewardship: We are called to be good stewards of God’s creation, and to obey directive to feed the hungry.
-Service: We are committed to serving the public with compassion, integrity, and empathy.
-Diversity: We respect and welcome all cultural/ethnic backgrounds, and varying schools of thought.
-Collaboration: We believe that to achieve a food secure community, we must engage the community as a whole, building a strong community support system.
In training and directing volunteers in their interaction with clients, WestAid operating procedures and staff clearly outline the expectations of cultural sensitivity, understanding and nonjudgment. Additionally, as our primary source for purchasing food for distribution, Tarrant Area Food Bank’s policies, by which WestAid employees and volunteers are bound, dictate fair and equitable service delivery. WestAid personnel attend TAFB’s required annual Civil Rights Training, which outlines policies, expectations and best practices. The organization is also bound by USDA’s non-discrimination statement for nutrition assistance programs, state and local agencies, and their subrecipients, and its related complaint process:
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Organization name
Westaid
Causes
Hunger, Food Access & Nutrition, Social Services
Operating Budget
$250,000 - $499,999
Counties Served
Tarrant
BIPOC Serving
Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx
Address
7940 Camp Bowie West