Tag: Texas Health Resources

Heritage Grocers Group, the largest Hispanic and ethnic food retailer in the country and parent company of El Rancho Supermercado (El Rancho), is joining Texas Health Resources in its efforts to make fresh produce more affordable for area families. Heritage is working with Texas Health to offer Double Up Food Bucks Texas benefits to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients at eight of its North Texas El Rancho stores. El Rancho’s entry into the program brings the total number of grocery stores and farmers markets accepting Double Up Texas benefits in North Texas to 25.

Double Up Texas is led statewide by Sustainable Food Center and carried out regionally by Texas Health Community Hope, Texas Health’s unique approach to promoting healthier futures through a broad range of impactful initiatives, investments, and collaborations. The program allows shoppers receiving SNAP benefits to double their purchasing dollars when buying fresh fruits and vegetables at participating grocers and farmers markets by either matching or discounting fresh produce purchases. This work is supported by the Double Up Food Bucks Texas program, project award No. 2024-70415-43711, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

As an introductory offer through August 31, anyone using a Lone Star Card at a participating El Rancho store will automatically receive 50% off their fresh produce purchase, up to $10 per day per transaction. After that date, the offer will be 50% off, up to $5 per day per transaction.

“We’re proud to partner with Texas Health to expand the Double Up Food Bucks program in North Texas,” said Adam Salgado, president and executive director for the Heritage Grocers Giving Foundation. “Making benefits available to our customers means more nutritious food on the table for families who need it most. But the impact goes beyond individual households. This partnership is a commitment to food security, to public health, and to the well-being of the communities we serve every day.”

Since its inception, El Rancho Supermercado has been dedicated to making Hispanic customers feel at home. The company prides itself on selling authentic and affordable offerings in a welcoming environment. The eight El Rancho locations participating in the Double Up Texas program are:

• 655 W. Illinois Ave., Dallas, TX 75224
• 701 S. Stemmons Freeway, Lewisville, TX 75067
• 10020 Marsh Lane, Dallas, TX 75229
• 4812 South Freeway, Fort Worth, TX 76115
• 821 N. McDonald St., McKinney, TX 75069
• 2506 S. Belt Line Road, Grand Prairie, TX 75052
• 3460 W. Walnut St., Garland, TX 75042
• 3535 N. Belt Line Road, Irving, TX 75062

Double Up Texas benefits are also available at three additional El Rancho locations — two in Houston and one in Odessa.

“El Rancho has a well-established and trusted local presence,” said Matt Dufrene, a vice president for Texas Health. “El Rancho’s participation in this important initiative means more local families can now access Double Up Texas benefits, and that’s a win for the well-being of our entire community.”

Texas Health first introduced Double Up Food Bucks to North Texas in 2020 at Fort Worth’s Cowtown Farmers Market as part of its larger efforts to make healthy choices easier and more accessible. The program has since expanded to include Foodland Markets and Tom Thumb grocery stores, as well as a number of additional farmers market locations.  

Double Up Texas locations are selected based on a variety of factors, including findings from the Texas Health Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA); the geographic area served by vendors willing and able to implement the Double Up Texas program; and the ability to fund new locations. Texas Health continues to seek out funding partners and expand Double Up Texas by working with area merchants to accept and promote benefits. Plans are in place to add additional Double Up locations in the coming year.

A full list of locations for Double Up Texas and Texas Health’s other healthy food access programs can be found at this link.

Source: press release

In an ongoing effort to improve access to and consumption of fresh produce and other healthy foods in underserved communities, Texas Health Resources, in conjuction with Gallup, is launching a first-of-its kind nutrition security study in Tarrant, Dallas and Collin counties. Nutrition security is having consistent access to affordable foods and beverages that promote well-being and prevent disease, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The goal of the study is to better understand the challenges around healthy food access to guide the health system’s expansion of current programs; engage the community in long-term solutions; and increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables in North Texas. The research effort supports the health system’s overall mission of improving the health of the people in the communities Texas Health serves.

“Access to healthy foods is a critical social determinant that can greatly affect long-term physical and mental well-being, especially in children,” said Texas Health CEO Barclay Berdan, FACHE. “By working with a world-renowned research organization such as Gallup, we hope gain a better understanding of the issues our communities are facing in creating equitable access to healthy foods and learn more about the needs of the individuals we seek to support.”

The study will kick off in February when researchers begin conducting interviews with community members in the three counties. Their focus will be on ZIP code areas that have the greatest need for interventions, as identified in the most recent Texas Health Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA).

Next, Gallup will conduct focus groups and interviews with key stakeholder groups, including a diverse sample of retailers; elected officials; federal, city and county staff; farmers and food producers; healthcare organizations; local foundations; food service suppliers; nonprofit organizations; and community activists.

Results are expected later this year, including a visual representation or map that depicts how respondents think about their opportunities and challenges related to healthy foods and how they interact with, and make decisions, in their food environment. Such graphical maps can help identify and visualize gaps in knowledge or experience among groups, according to Gallup senior researcher Ellyn Maese.

“This approach offers a window into the minds and lives of respondents that other types of data might obscure,” Maese said. “Through mental landscaping, we can assess how potential changes such as new programs or policies may impact the community to determine where resources might be best spent.”

Texas Health supports a broad range of community health initiatives with programs focused on nutrition security. They include the Good For You Pantry and Fresh Access efforts, which provide free produce and healthy foods in schools and community centers, and Double Up Food Bucks in select grocery stores and farmers markets. In addition, the health system supports urban farms and school and community gardens. In June 2023, Texas Health hit a major milestone, marking the donation of more than 1.1 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables, serving more than 157,000 individuals in Tarrant County since 2020. Texas Health also began to expand its efforts to include areas of Dallas County and beyond.

“If we want to make a lasting impact on community well-being, we need to get a deeper understanding of the needs of the people we are serving and make sure that the systems and interventions we put in place truly address those needs,” Berdan said. “This study will play a pivotal role by helping us structure, refine and coordinate our efforts in the years to come.”

source: press release