Dallas Bethlehem Center is Expanding Food Access in South Dallas

The NTFB partner offers family dinners, pantry access and Kroger order pickup through a new program called Grocery Connect.

Neighbors in the Fair Park and South Dallas areas can now order groceries from Kroger and pick them up free of charge at North Texas Food Bank partner Dallas Bethlehem Center.

The nonprofit has been a mainstay in the community since moving there in 1955 and became a Grocery Connect partner over the summer. The program launched by Bonton Farms is meant to address the lack of grocery stores in the area by giving residents the chance to order food from Kroger with no delivery charge. “We have buying power,” says Dallas Bethlehem Center Executive Director Jami Russell. “It’s just a little different because it’s often SNAP or WIC dollars.”

For Dallas Bethlehem, the program is also an extension of its health and wellness efforts, which include its client choice-style pantry, its twice weekly family meals, a community garden and wellness education. Through Grocery Connect, their team will sit with neighbors and assist them in ordering, providing nudges toward healthy choices when possible. They also offer technology education so neighbors can establish emails, which are needed for Grocery Connect.

“They have a lot of options to help people here,” says Victor, a neighbor who receives food from the pantry and attends family dinner nights. He recently registered for Grocery Connect and says the pickup option is a welcome one since there’s not a grocery store nearby and he can walk to Dallas Bethlehem Center.

Whether expanding access to food, offering education or simply being available as a place for people to connect, Jami says they aim to be a positive place for the neighborhood. “We live life with this community, and we want to be that third place of belonging,” she says.

Dallas Bethlehem Center receives its food from Crossroads Community Services, which is an NTFB redistribution hub located nearby.

Jami says many of the neighbors they serve live on fixed incomes or are working and still struggle to afford everything. Rent, in particular, has gone up in their neighborhood, forcing many to cut their grocery budget or to double up in apartments with other families to make ends meet.

“Your rent and utilities aren’t flexible, so if you have an unexpected expense, it’s your food budget that goes,” Jami says. “If you can come here and take what you can for meals, that gives you a little flexibility.”

The pantry is set up like a grocery store and neighbors are invited to shop with a volunteer. Jami says that model is important because it provides dignity and choice while also allowing volunteers to build relationships with neighbors. If a volunteer knows a family is especially low on food in a certain week, for example, they can add a little bit more to their cart.

Prior to COVID, Dallas Bethlehem provided after school care. Some form of childcare will be offered again soon, thanks to the partnership of another organization, and Dallas Bethlehem is also transforming classrooms into spaces for teens and for workforce development classes.

Lester, a neighbor who shops for food for himself and his elderly mother, says he first returned to Dallas Bethlehem a few years ago when he needed help, but the nonprofit’s legacy in their community is deep.

“I’ve been coming here since I was a little kid,” he says. “I’m 66, but I came here to play basketball as a kid.”

When shopping, Lester says he only takes what they need, which is usually fresh vegetables and meat—items that are too expensive for them at the grocery store. He also encourages other neighbors to visit the nonprofit with him if they’re struggling.

“Nobody should go hungry,” he says. “This is a diamond in the rough for this community. We need this, and there’s no reason not to come in here if you need it.”

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