Bryan Downer sees more families struggling to afford food each month — and the demand keeps growing.
Community needs are up at the food pantry he operates as federal funding cuts, coupled with inflationary increases, are affecting North Texans.
Downer, president and CEO of the Community Enrichment Center, or CEC, in North Richland Hills, said 3,500 families from Tarrant and 13 other counties now depend on the nonprofit for their food needs. That number rises daily.
“We’re probably seeing about 10% brand-new people every day right now,” he said. “The influx of people that are coming to us for food continues to increase.”
The northeast Tarrant agency receives about 40% of their food from the Tarrant Area Food Bank, which itself faces a shortfall of $4.2 million after the U.S. Department of Agriculture canceled two federal programs that provide about $1 billion in funding to schools and food banks that buy food from local farmers and suppliers.
Another 40% of CEC’s food comes directly from 18 local grocery stores based on a USDA mandate to set aside a certain amount of food for food banks and pantries.
On a typical day, about 10,000 pounds of food “will go out the door in four hours” of pantry operation, Downer said.
From January 2025 to late March 2025, the agency distributed more than 587,000 pounds of food to those in need. About 20 volunteers help distribute what’s on offer to clients, some of whom come from as far away as Parker and Palo Pinto counties.
“Our goal is to provide families with enough food to feed a family of three two meals a day for two weeks,” he said.
For a two-week period, the food pantry’s distributions equate to about 84 meals for each family.
The food bank’s funding cut could affect how much fresh fruit and vegetables are distributed to families from CEC, Downer said.
“So we see the cuts potentially affecting that supply line, and it’s hard for us to source adequate protein for families without spending very substantial money to go out and actually purchase truckloads of chicken, or whatever, to feed the families that are coming to us,” he said. “That will be a problem if we’re faced with that type of a cut from (Tarrant Area Food Bank). It looks like their main cut initially is going to be produce.”
Food insecurity has increased in recent years, outpacing even the demand that food pantries saw during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“If three years ago, if we saw 80 people in a day, that was an extremely busy day for us,” Downer said. “Now, we’re close to 200 people a day.”
The center, which also provides housing to those in need, offers financial and employment coaching programs as well.
Families visiting the pantry could find meals to be a little bit less healthy than before, with fewer fruits and vegetables available as a result of federal funding cuts.
“We rely upon grants and donations to make sure that we continue to operate,” Downer said. “When I talk to people that I would say are successful business people, they can all understand the economy is putting a strain on families right now.”
Ag commissioner says state could help with funding gap
Last year, Texas surpassed California in food insecurity, although half of the residents who struggle to buy food don’t qualify for federal assistance such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Axios reported.
More than 300,000 Tarrant County residents — about 14% of the population — are food insecure.
Downer said 1 in 4 Texas children are food insecure.
If children are hungry, that can affect their ability to function well in school, he said.
“The kids aren’t going to pay attention as much, as they’re hungry and they’re wondering about what’s going to be for dinner — or if they’re going to have dinner when they get home,” he said. “That puts a strain on school work and we know with all the issues of the big push towards literacy in the Fort Worth school district.”
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, who once was reportedly on President Donald Trump’s shortlist for agriculture secretary, said state programs will likely help make up for the loss of some federal funds.
“Well, we’re in good shape,” Miller told the Fort Worth Report. “Part of the funding was for locally grown products going into our schools. Last year, we got about $23 million. We’re going to get $24 million, but we don’t really need it.”
Miller said the state’s surplus produce program will purchase items from farmers, usually blemished or undersized food that is still nutritious, and distribute that to 20 Texas food banks.
“We’ll continue to do that,” Miller said.
Federal funding provided to food banks during the COVID-19 pandemic was “bonus money” that organizations should not have become accustomed to, Miller said.
“Well, I think the state grant problem is going to make up a lot of that, so (it’s) probably not as bad as they make it out to be,” Miller said.
Maintaining services
CEC’s food pantry — which began as a community outreach of Richland Hills Church of Christ, now the Hills Church, in 1975 — has grown steadily over the decades, moving from a closet to a 3,000-square-foot space to its current 8,000 square feet.
“There are several food pantries in the area, but we are one of the very few that are open five days a week,” Downer said. “We’re also committed to providing a quantity of food that will feed a family for a couple of weeks so very few other pantries will provide the same amount of food that we provide.
“We’re fortunate to do that.”
Environment reporter Nicole Lopez contributed reporting.
Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org.
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