Since its founding in 2005, Community Link has tackled innovative ways to alleviate hunger and food scarcity for Tarrant County families. In the areas served by Community Link, 30% of children are food insecure, meaning they lack consistent access to sufficient, nutritious food. Through online food ordering, a drive-thru food pantry and partnerships with local farmers markets, they provided nearly 23,000 families with food last year alone.

But like many food programs, the group has faced obstacles to providing people with fresh produce. Donated fruits and veggies go bad quickly and don’t always make it to families. In March 2025, Community Link found a way to deliver vegetables to families almost as soon as they were harvested: freight farms.

Freight farms are vertical farms built inside of repurposed shipping containers. They utilize hydroponic farming, in which plants are grown without soil and instead grow inside water-based solutions. The farms can be placed virtually anywhere and grow year-round because of their self-contained climate. The result is a high-yield farm that requires far less space than a traditional garden.

Community Link obtained its first freight farm in 2025 and Fresh Link Farms was born. By September, they had their first harvest. Since then, they’ve grown 21,000 plants: romaine lettuce, kale, collard greens, bok choy and other veggies. There has been a spirit of excitement about this project from the community and clients, said Whitney Berry, Community Link’s Director of Markets and Local Food.

“The enthusiasm from our clients and volunteers says it all—Fresh Link Farms is creating meaningful connections to fresh, healthy food,” Berry said. “Our freight farm is not just growing produce, it’s growing engagement, education, and opportunity.”

Once a week, volunteers are able to harvest and distribute produce directly to clients through Community Link’s food pantry. The nonprofit also transports veggies down the road to the Community Caring Center in Azle. 

A Collaborative Effort for Community Health

On Saturday, the nonprofit hosted its official grand opening at the freight farm, dubbed the Lettuce Shack. The event took place at the Azle’s Farmer’s Market, which Community Link also runs, at 225 Church St, Azle, TX 76020. Attendees toured the Lettuce Shack, self-harvested some of the plants and learned more about hydroponic farming.

Saturday's event was also a celebration of Fresh Link Farm’s collaboration with Cook Children’s Center for Community Health, the American Heart Association and other supporters. 

Cook Children’s and the American Heart Association have been supporters of the freight farm project and are providing financial support for the ongoing costs of managing the Lettuce Shack. On April 25, Cook Children’s will also host a container gardening workshop at the Saginaw Farmers Market in partnership with the American Heart Association. During the session, families will learn how to grow their own food, receive the supplies needed to start a container garden at home, and take home fresh ingredients to prepare a healthy recipe together.

“Access to nutritious foods plays an essential role in heart health,” said Jenny Eyer, vice president of community impact for the American Heart Association in North Texas. “This freight farm will help improve access to fresh, locally grown produce for thousands in our Azle community starting today and strengthening health outcomes for years to come.”

Cook Children’s also hopes to offer at least four educational sessions, led by Cook Children’s Center for Community Health, focused on nutrition and healthy habits at home.

“By combining education, access, and hands-on support, this partnership aims to create lasting impacts on family health and nutrition, while also laying the foundation for future opportunities to expand and deepen its reach within the community,” said Emily Epperson, Program Manager of Community Health.

The partnership is a perfect fit for Cook Children’s as part of its mission to advance nutrition security across the region. As the largest food pantry in Northwest Tarrant County, Community Link plays a vital role in serving families in need. Through the introduction of a freight farm, this collaboration will significantly increase access to fresh, healthy produce — ensuring more neighbors have the resources they need to support healthier lives.

Berry said the collaboration allows Community Link to have a broader reach to community members and pursue even bigger dreams.

“How we maintain anything as a nonprofit is through collaboration and our community,” she said. “We are a small nonprofit, so having the support of these organizations means the world to us.”

When Fresh Link is able to grow, harvest and give produce to community members, the result is a full circle moment for volunteers and clients, Berry said. Volunteers are able to harvest produce on Wednesday and hand it directly to someone on Thursday, saying, “Hey, I grew this, it grew in Azle just down the street, we picked it yesterday, and it's for your family.”

In the three months after its first harvest in September 2025, Fresh Link Farms provided its fresh, locally grown produce to more than 14,000 people. With its new partnership, the nonprofit hopes to provide nutritious produce to thousands more families.

The impact of the pause in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits is significant, given the existing challenge of food insecurity in North Texas. A recent Cook Children’s Community Health Needs Assessment found that one in five children are food-insecure in the U.S., and Texas has the largest number of food-insecure children in the nation. The rate and number of children experiencing food insecurity are the highest it has been since 2014, with the largest one-year increase since 2008. The report also indicated that in Cook Children’s eight-county service area, 21% of children, about 236,400, live in a household that reported receiving food stamps or SNAP benefits in the past year.

“A child’s everyday behavior could be distracted by their hungry belly or stressed because they don’t know what they will be able to eat for dinner that night,” said Cabarcas.

Recognizing that health is all-encompassing, Cook Children’s Health Care System has actively worked to mitigate the impact of food insecurity before the government shutdown by piloting food distribution to eligible patient families, the Center for Community Health program families, and Health Plan members. 

“For the past three years, Cook Children’s has been building our response to food insecurity in general and has implemented many partnerships and new efforts to contribute to the cause,” said Courtney Barnard, director of community wellness for the Center for Community Health at Cook Children’s Health Care System.

Barnard shares essential information for families impacted by the pause and where they can access food assistance:

• Parent Pass app: Vetted resources for families
• Tarrant Area Food Bank (TAFB) at https://tafb.org/find-food-main/
• North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) https://ntfb.org/food-assistance/find-a-food-pantry/
• Programs such as WIC and free and reduced lunch programs at schools are unaffected at this time. Eligible families should enroll.
• The TAFB is still helping people enroll in SNAP. Families should still apply and enroll, as benefits will be retroactive once the pause is lifted.
• TAFB is working to double food sourcing and distribution to meet the increased need.

“As physicians, we educate our patients about eating five servings of fruits and vegetables per day as part of a healthy diet, but that goal is really difficult to attain when those fruits and vegetables cost much more than a bag of chips or a fast-food cheeseburger,” said Cabarcas. 

The system works alongside food pantries across its eight-county service area to provide additional food and education to families, train pantry staff and volunteers, and build capacity to serve more people. Cook Children’s collaborates with TAFB to support a new mobile market serving Denton, Wise, and Cooke counties. The system also formed partnerships with Texas Health Resources to support Good for You Healthy Hubs at the Eastside YMCA and Eugene McCray Community Center.

“Our patients’ families can struggle to pay for housing, utilities, childcare and healthcare, so adding the additional challenge of affording nutritious foods for their family causes psychological stress felt by all members of the household,” explained Cabarcas.  “I have noticed that as children mature, they sometimes disclose to me that they feel a burden of guilt due to their parents having difficulty paying for their basic needs.”

In August, the neighborhood health center in Las Vegas Trail opened its doors, helping to fill critical community needs. West Aid Food Pantry, which has been a staple in Southwest Fort Worth for 40 years, is now located at the health center. This collaboration aims to end the area's status as a food and health care desert.

Cook Children’s Neighborhood Health Centers provide unique services in the community. Staff work with families to overcome barriers to future health care access and bridge the gap. Patients of the Neighborhood Health Centers have access to dieticians, referral coordinators, speech therapists, behavioral health therapists, community health workers, and even dental services.

“Food insecurity impacts children’s oral health because it often limits access to nutritious foods rich in calcium, vitamins, and minerals that are essential for healthy teeth and gums,” explains Ottis Goodwin, director of community oral health for Cook Children’s Health Care System. 

Cook Children’s Health Care System provides access to these services all within their medical home. These teams work seamlessly with the community and Cook Children’s partners to assess and address patient needs in a timely and holistic manner.

Cook Children's has more than 40 pediatric offices and neighborhood health centers in North Texas. To become a patient, learn more about our locations here. You can also find additional information on community resources on our page here.

Now, the organization has a new home―one thoughtfully designed and customized to support its operations and enhance the experience of those it serves. Located at the new neighborhood health center serving the Las Vegas Trail area, West Aid joins JPS Health Network, Cook Children’s Health Care System, The City of Fort Worth, and LVTRise in a landmark collaboration aimed at ending the area’s long-standing status as a food and health care desert.

The more centralized location brings West Aid closer to the majority of those in its service area, which comprises seven zip codes—76107, 76108, 76109, 76114, 76116, 76126 and 76008. Each year, West Aid provides food for about 10,000 Fort Worth households. In 2024, the organization distributed goods valued at more than $1 million.

William Pherigo, MRE, has been the executive director of West Aid for 30 years. He believes integrating the food pantry into the center is a natural fit.

“Food is medicine, so it just makes sense with how important food and nutrition are to health that West Aid is located at the center,” Pherigo said. “It just completes the health and wellness circle there.”

Poor nutrition can lead to a wide range of chronic health issues, such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity, as well as fragile mental and emotional health. But when faced with a lack of convenient food sources and limited financial resources, it’s not always easy to find or afford healthy food options. In Las Vegas Trail, 32% of people live below the poverty level. For those that don’t, many still struggle to afford the basics of housing, childcare, food, transportation, health care and technology, according to West Aid.

“It's important that people know that food security can affect a lot of different people,” Pherigo said. “I think sometimes people decide that those who need help with food live on another side of town or in somebody else's neighborhood. But we see people that may just come once or twice, and that's all. They just need a little help. There are different reasons why people find themselves needing our services.”

Kenneth Janak began volunteering with West Aid last year following his retirement from Texas Christian University where he was the senior associate athletic director and chief financial officer for athletics. Twice a week, Janak picks up donations from an area grocer and delivers them to West Aid.

“I knew when I retired, I couldn't be one of those people who sit around and watch TV all day,” Janak said. “My goal is to do something for my body, mind, and soul every day. Sometimes the soul part means going out and helping others. And, by the way, I'm over there lifting these crates of food that are 40 and 50 pounds. So it's helping my body all at the same time. But to be around there for over a year now, it makes me realize how important it is that we all work together to help each other.”

Janak is most excited about the new and improved experience visitors will have as they shop the shelves.

“The new space is built specifically for us,” Janak said. “It has amazing cold storage with a big separate walk-in refrigerator and a big separate walk-in freezer. So now we can do what the grocery stores do. You step up to the refrigerator and open the glass door and pull out your milk, and the workers are stocking it from behind. That's what we're able to do now. We didn't have that kind of capacity before. I love the new space.”

The support for West Aid guests doesn’t stop with groceries. After all, what is the value of a bag full of nutritious food if you don’t know how to prepare it or have the cooking resources to do so? This is where the center’s demonstration kitchen and full-time on-site dietitian will complete the food security circle. The kitchen is designed to welcome LVT residents for cooking classes and nutrition counseling and education. Here, guests will learn how to choose and prepare healthy meals on a budget using everything from a hot plate, microwave or crock pot to a full cooking range and oven.

West Aid and the center's partners are doing more than handing out groceries. They’re ensuring that no one in Las Vegas Trail has to wonder where their next meal—or their next chance at wellness—will come from. Visit West Aid’s website to learn more about how you can help.

Families can access fresh fruits, vegetables and other nutritious foods for free at Fort Worth’s

The renovated Eastside YMCA opened January 27 with new amenities including a Good For You Healthy Hub to help fight food insecurity in the surrounding neighborhood.

The Center for Community Health, led by Cook Children’s, is funding the hub’s startup costs and the first two years of operation. The center will offer classes on nutrition, gardening and preparing meals in the YMCA’s demonstration kitchen as part of the collaboration. Education will also cover healthy lifestyle topics such as exercise, sleep and limits on screen time. 

The new hub at Eastside YMCA functions within the network of Good For You locations operated by Texas Health. Teaming up allows the YMCA to tap the library of materials, engagement opportunities and partner connections at both Texas Health and Cook Children’s. 

The Eastside YMCA, located at 1500 Sandy Lane, serves an area of east Fort Worth where the Cook Children’s footprint is growing. Just a few miles to the north on Manhattan Boulevard, a new Cook Children’s neighborhood health center is scheduled to open in May 2025. 

Cook Children’s investment at Eastside YMCA aligns with our Promise: Knowing every child’s life is sacred, we promise to improve the well-being of every child in our care and communities. It’s the latest example of the center taking action to address hunger in an eight-county region of North Texas.

Courtney Barnard, the center’s Director of Child Wellness, said area residents already know the reputation for outstanding pediatric care at Cook Children’s medical centers and clinics. By sponsoring a hub, the center takes that commitment beyond the Blue Peaks to put nutritious food within convenient reach of those in need.  

“What Cook Children’s does really well is understanding that health is not just the absence of being sick, or going to a doctor to get treated when you are sick,” Barnard said. “The joy we have at the Center for Community Health is getting to work in spaces outside of the traditional medical setting to impact the well-being of kids and families.”

The Big Picture

Food insecurity occurs whenever all people in a household don’t consistently have enough food to live an active, healthy life. They might lack the money or the transportation to buy groceries. Some people in the household might eat smaller portions or skip meals altogether so that others have enough.

According to the Cook Children’s 2024 Community Health Needs Assessment, in our eight-county service area approximately 34% of children ages birth to 17 (about 390,100 children and teens) live in households that cannot always afford to eat good, nutritious meals. This compares to 40% of children statewide and 33% nationally.

Food insecurity among children can impact:

• Physical health, including higher risk for anemia and asthma
• Mental health
• Ability to focus and learn

“The limited or uncertain access to enough food is a critical child health issue that impacts millions of infants, children, youth and families in all communities across the U.S.,” according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. “Children of all ages who live in households with food insecurity, even at the least severe levels of food insecurity, are likely to be sick more often, recover from illness more slowly, and be hospitalized more frequently.” 

Making Connections

Texas Health supports 20 Good For You Healthy Hubs in schools and community centers across Tarrant County. The hubs focus on nutrition security, emphasizing seasonal produce and nutrient-dense staples such as beans, legumes and whole grains that are necessary for living a healthy, active lifestyle. Fresh fruits and vegetables make up at least half of the food selection.

“When it comes to improving health outcomes in our community, overcoming barriers to accessing healthy food is critically important,” said Matt Dufrene, Vice President, Texas Health. “We’re proud to collaborate with Cook Children’s and the YMCA to offer innovative programs like Good For You that support the health and well-being of residents in east Fort Worth.” 

On average, each hub serves about 70-100 families per month.  As in a grocery store, clients choose the foods they want. Recipes, resources and nutrition information are also provided. Toiletries and diapers are available in some hubs.

“Nutritious food is a fundamental human right, not a luxury,” said Beverly Brown, Director of Operations, YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth. She thanked Texas Health and Cook Children’s for making the Good For You Healthy Hub a reality.

After the Eastside YMCA closed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, it needed extensive repairs and renovations before reopening in January 2025. The $16 million, three-phase construction project was designed to create a Community Impact Center. In addition to usual YMCA attractions -- fitness center and swimming pool, for instance -- the transformed Eastside facility includes the hub and spaces for early learning, leadership and workforce development.

Targeting the problem of food insecurity isn’t a new goal for Cook Children’s. For years, the center has collaborated with Texas Health and many other organizations to plant community gardens and provide education around healthy lifestyle behaviors. In 2023, the center and Cook Children’s Health Plan partnered with Tarrant Area Food Bank and H-E-B Hunger Relief to roll out the R.E.D. Mobile Market, providing food staples and application assistance to receive SNAP benefits (food stamps). And, as part of a pilot, select departments across Cook Children’s are screening patient and program families for food insecurity and providing food either onsite or delivered to the family’s home.

Center program coordinator Dora Garcia described the hub as a beautiful and welcoming space, where people are respected and seen as neighbors.

“We’re providing food to meet their immediate need,” Garcia said. “Their long-term needs are going to be met through the education and resources on making good food choices, physical activity and other kinds of education to live the healthiest life they can.”

Barnard said the hub illustrates one way Cook Children’s strives to enhance the well-being of all children in the region, regardless of whether they’re patients at one of our sites.   

“It’s not just for those coming through our hospital doors, but how can we help and be present for the community as a whole,” Barnard said. “They know Cook Children’s not only as their friendly neighborhood pediatrician, but also as an organization that gives back to the community.”

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'A Hand Up, Not A Handout': Cook Children's Center for Community Health and Health Plan Collaborate with Community Partners to Combat Food Insecurity

The United States Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough food for every person in a household to live an active, healthy life. Food insecurity is associated with health problems and behavioral challenges for children that may negatively affect their ability to function normally and participate fully in school and other activities.

“Children who don’t get enough to eat — especially during their first three years — begin life at a serious disadvantage,” said Karen Love, President of Cook Children’s Health Plan. “Children facing hunger are more likely to experience problems in school. They’re also more likely to be hospitalized and face risks of serious health conditions such as anemia and asthma.”

According to Cook Children’s 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment, an estimated 303,000 children (nearly one in four children) in our eight-county service area live in households that could not always afford nutritious foods.

Local and national research reflects that food insecurity and diet-related diseases have a disproportionate impact on children in historically underserved communities. Environments, including surrounding neighborhood infrastructure, accessibility and affordability barriers predominantly cause food insecurity.

Food insecurity has always been an issue, but it has been exacerbated by the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation, which has caused the cost of food and many other goods to increase drastically.

Community Collaboration

Cook Children’s Center for Community Health and Health Plan have many programs and resources in place for community health outreach. In addition to those programs, the teams are collaborating with community partners to support families as best they can.

“Recognizing the important intersection between food insecurity, social determinants of health, and healthy children, Cook Children’s embarked on a system initiative in fiscal year 2023 to identify strategies for addressing these important concerns,” Love said. “This initiative strongly connects to our system’s Promise: Knowing every child’s life is sacred, we promise to improve the well-being of every child in our care and our communities.”

Cook Children’s primary strategies are to:

• Support efforts to screen for food insecurity with health plan and community members, as well as with patient families within our Neighborhood Health Centers and other areas
• Proactively identify communities with extensive food insecurity needs
• Improve access to healthy food
• Increase enrollment in underutilized child nutrition programs, such as SNAP and WIC
• Increase and support community education efforts around nutrition and food access

“We understand that tackling big issues like food insecurity requires the whole community to come together,” said Emily Epperson, Child Wellness Program Manager at Cook Children’s Center for Community Health. “So many organizations already do so much to serve children and families in their local community. Working alongside them is another way Cook Children’s can fulfill our Promise at a broader scale.”

A Hand Up, Not a Handout

Cook Children’s Center for Community Health and Health Plan connect families to food through a partnership with The Center of Hope.  

The Center of Hope offers short and long-term poverty assistance in Parker County. Throughout its 25 years of service, the nonprofit organization has helped individuals holistically, addressing their physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Center of Hope offers real solutions that will equip and empower individuals to live a more successful life.

Since 2005, the Center of Hope has hosted Camp Hope at local churches to provide an environment for children to focus on community, healthy choices, life skill development and character building. Each summer, campers participate in fun games and activities, learn how to prepare their own meals and more.

“Our philosophy is to provide a hand up and not a handout,” said Staci Markwardt, CEO at Center of Hope. “We developed the Camp Hope program to encompass giving out more than just food. Kids learn to prepare meals and then they get to take home those same ingredients so they’re able to prepare their meals at home. They also get a week’s worth of groceries throughout the month. It’s just a fun camp!”

Markwardt says the partnership with Cook Children’s enabled Camp Hope to provide food and education to 300 kids this summer. The children learned how to cook healthy meals and make healthy choices using the 5210+ Every Day toolkit.

“The support we received from Cook Children’s was amazing,” Markwardt said. “Our true passion is to help people out of their situations. It really does feel so good knowing we’re making an impact, helping kids break that cycle of poverty, so they can learn and grow and not end up in poverty like their generations before.”

Key Partnerships to Address Food Needs

Cook Children’s continues to explore opportunities to partner with organizations and tackle the issue of food insecurity. Recently, Cook Children’s partnered with Tarrant Area Food Bank and H-E-B to open another R.E.D. Market, which is essentially a grocery store on wheels. It’s a refrigerated trailer that includes shelves just like a supermarket, which are stocked with items such fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy items. The R.E.D. Market vehicle will make multiple stops in a single day, connecting families to food, SNAP benefits and additional community resources to address housing, education, and employment. TAFB will work with Cook Children’s to identify specific community neighborhoods in need based on income and food insecurity screening data.

Families in Denton, Wise and Cooke Counties now have more access to healthy food and resources through a new partnership between

“The R.E.D Market is essentially a grocery store on wheels. It’s a refrigerated trailer that includes shelves just like a supermarket, which are stocked with items such fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy items,” said Becki Hale, assistant vice president of the Center for Community Health at Cook Children’s. “Our partnership with Tarrant Area Food Bank and H-E-B is one of the many ways we, along with Cook Children’s Health Plan, are working together to address food insecurity in our region.”

According to Cook Children’s 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment, an estimated 303,000 children (nearly one in four) in Cook Children’s eight-county service area live in households that cannot always afford nutritious foods.

“Cook Children’s partnership with Tarrant Area Food Bank and H-E-B is critical because children who don’t get enough to eat — especially during their first three years — begin life at a serious disadvantage,” said Karen Love, President of Cook Children’s Health Plan. “Children facing hunger are more likely to experience problems in school. They’re also more likely to be hospitalized and face risks of serious health conditions such as anemia and asthma.”

The R.E.D. Market vehicle will make multiple stops in a single day, connecting families to food, SNAP benefits and additional community resources to address housing, education, and employment. TAFB will work with Cook Children’s to identify specific community neighborhoods in need based on income and food insecurity screening data.

“As we continue to provide community support to relieve the effects of inflation, we are deepening our roots through TAFB North in Denton County by launching solutions that bring our services to neighbors in rural underserved communities where transportation may be lacking,” said Julie Butner, President and CEO of Tarrant Area Food Bank. “TAFB, in partnership through the generosity of Cook Children’s and H-E-B will provide emergency food boxes, nutrition education, as well as facilitate enrollment of eligible families into federal benefits programs such as SNAP and Medicaid.”

The R.E.D. Market will be deployed to various locations across Denton, Wise and Cooke Counties. You can find more information about its scheduled stops on TAFB’s website. To request the R.E.D. Market at a community event, please fill out TAFB’s request form.