New food pantry opens at Fort Worth's Cesar Chavez Elementary

Fort Worth – The American Heart Association and Medical City Healthcare, supported by the HCA Healthcare Foundation, are helping the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) enhance nutritional security. Serving the needs of students, families, and the surrounding community, a new food pantry is open at the district’s Cesar Chavez Elementary School in north Fort Worth.

The new food pantry opened August 28^th and operates on a “self-select” basis, providing a dignified shopping experience where families can make personal nutrition choices that work best for their households. Essential resources to open the pantry were provided through the American Heart Association’s Getting to the Heart of Stroke™ initiative, an ongoing partnership with Medical City Healthcare, supported by the HCA Healthcare Foundation. The initiative aims to improve heart health and beat stroke – including advancing nutrition for a healthy heart. The organizations partnered to provide all the necessary equipment for the new pantry, which students have named "Chavez Pick & Pack." The equipment included shelving, refrigeration units, worktables, baskets and mobile carts. In addition, Medical City Healthcare colleagues will volunteer to assist with the pantry.

 “We are proud to work with the American Heart Association to help ensure a consistent supply of nutritious foods that can lead to healthier tomorrows for North Texas children and families,” says Joseph Parra, MD, chief medical officer of Medical City Healthcare and a member of the Tarrant County American Heart Association board of directors. “We know that proper nutrition is essential for good health.”

Cesar Chavez Elementary School is located in Fort Worth’s 76106 zip code, where approximately 94% of the school’s students are economically disadvantaged.  A lack of food accessibility, availability and affordability makes it harder for people in historically under-resourced areas, such as in the Cesar Chavez Elementary community, to access nutritious foods that help prevent chronic diseases like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes – all of which can contribute to stroke. The new pantry will implement an organizational nutrition policy based on the American Heart Association's food and beverage guidelines that promote healthy standards and guide the donation of items to meet these standards. Additionally, the pantry will follow the Healthy Eating Research (HER) guidelines to promote healthy choices, encouraging the consumption of foods labeled as "choose often" and reducing the distribution of foods labeled as "choose rarely."

“Every day I see amazing families committed to seeing their children get a great start in life, but they struggle putting nutritious foods on the table. The ability of our students to thrive should not be hindered by a lack of nutrition access in our neighborhood. Cesar Chavez Elementary is proud to continue our support of the community with this amazing new pantry and we hope others in North Texas see what is possible and are motivated to act, “said Cesar Chavez Elementary Principal, Ms. Monica Ordaz.

Other Cesar Chavez pantry initiative partners include FWISD Parent Partnerships, school personnel and the Tarrant Area Food Bank (TAFB). To ensure sustainable success of the pantry and understanding the importance of the non-English speaking population (66%), Chavez Pick & Pack will have bilingual support on-site pantry leaders who received training from TAFB.

Local food pantry programs are just one way the American Heart Association is working to help people have access to foods that can lead to living longer, healthier lives. In addition, the Association advocates for better food policies, including ensuring strong nutrition standards for school meals and ensuring all students have access to those meals. The Association’s local team continues to replicate community solutions like this around the Dallas and Fort Worth area. Organizations looking to connect with the American Heart Association’s team in North Texas can contact Jenny Ever, VP of Health Strategies via email jenny.eyer@heart.org, and can follow on social media using @AmericanHeartTX on social IG, FB, and X. 

Medical City Healthcare also supports nutrition access through its annual Healthy Food for Healthier Tomorrows food drive. In 2024, the health system and its colleagues provided more than 140,000 meals to hungry families through 17 food banks and pantries. In addition, Medical City Children’s Hospital’s kids teaching kids® Healthy Lifestyles Program offers nutrition education and resources to 20,000+ students and families in 17 North Texas school districts to improve wellness and eating habits.