Tarrant Area Food Bank has ended its school mobile food distribution partnership with TCC, affecting food programs on NW, NE and South campuses.
The notice from TAFB came at the end of the spring semester as food insecurity continues to see a steady incline in Texas. A July 28 press release from Feeding Texas, a food bank network association, highlighted that 19.4% of Texans are experiencing food insecurity, up from 17.6% last year.
“It’s just kind of the nature of where we are as a society,” Cara Walker, NE director of student life and engagement, said. “A lot of funds are just limited, and so we have to work as a college within funding parameters.”
Issues with funding extend beyond the college itself, with TAFB experiencing budget cuts exceeding $4 million in 2025 alone.
Despite reassurance by a SE coordinator in October 2025 that the cuts would not have an impact on TCC’s programs, the effects of these changes at the federal, state and local level have finally trickled down to TCC. This has prompted adjustments in existing pantry operations at NE in addition to the sunsetting of the NW and South programs.
“We’ve recently augmented our donation processes where we’re working with the Student Connections Center, which has shifted its focus into more of a basic needs service for the college,” Walker said.
Lisa Benedetti, NW arts and humanities dean, said the campus had volunteers ready to support their community when the truck came every month.
“Our first market was August 2017,” said Benedetti. “We never missed a day in all those years. COVID did not stop us. Rain did not stop us. We continued all that time to serve our students in the community.”
Benedetti acted as the coordinator for the NW Community Food Market, one of the food programs that was supported by TAFB, from start to finish. It was hosted on the third Friday of each month in the NW13 hangar. The market received donations from TAFB, including fruits, vegetables and other perishable items.
As for what the future holds for students, each campus is forming their own approach in addressing these changes.
South confirmed that Toro’s Fresh Market has been discontinued as of Aug. 1, but on-the-go pantry items remain available to students. More information can be found on TCC’s website under the food pantries page.
NW Vice President of Student Affairs James Edwards said that an existing resource, Toro’s Food Pantry, is in the process of being expanded. It is set to be included in a dedicated space as part of the campus cafeteria that remains in development. Students will be able to come to NW02 and have access to the pantry.
“We already have a proposal in place for what we are calling a dry food pantry,” Edwards said. “There won’t be any perishable items, but there will be items that will be available for students that are experiencing food insecurity.”
The dry food pantry will look different from the Community Food Market, but it is unclear how it will compare.
It is also unknown when the cafeteria’s construction will reach completion, but Edwards said a tentative timeframe of spring 2027 is the current goal. In the meantime, Edwards said donations are always welcome.
NE is in an exploratory phase regarding potential opportunities with other fresh food partners, according to Walker.
“It’s not a never again type of thing,” Walker said. “It’s a ‘how can we bring this back to be able to service the college?’”
Some community members have come forward and asked about the status of the NE pantry. Walker said she redirected them to alternative resources such as Community Food Link, which serves communities across northwest Tarrant County and is based in Saginaw.
“Generally, we just want to make sure that they at least have the information,” Walker said. “We’re looking at what we can do within the capacity we have to still provide.”
