Central Texas Food Bank launches new strategic planning tool to help end hunger
AUSTIN, Texas - The Central Texas Food Bank has launched a new tool to help end hunger.
Named FACT, for Food Access Convening Tool, the tool identifies areas where Central Texans face food insecurity and uses real-time data to map gaps in services within the food bank’s 21-county service area.
CTFB says it will also be able to better embed equity in its planning processes by providing key demographic data and shows the impact of strategies beyond food distribution—such as SNAP assistance and workforce development—that reduce food access gaps.
FACT was developed in collaboration with Feeding South Florida, Ryder and Howard University. The tool analyzes food insecurity rates based on the latest census tracts and the Food Bank’s distribution reach to demonstrate the impact of CTFB’s efforts, serving as a dashboard for gauging how CTFB, its network of partner agencies, and ultimately other community organizations are doing at meeting food access needs in Central Texas.
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It also serves as a road map by providing a better understanding of existing gaps in food access and helps CTFB plan where to focus its time, efforts and resources through partnership development and progressive community growth.
FACT can also demonstrate how initiatives in addition to food distribution can help those in need, says CTFB. By utilizing "levers" that can be turned on and off to show how different efforts can augment food assistance, it provides a more holistic view of the effect community-wide efforts to end hunger can have.
The tool is currently able to factor in workforce training and SNAP assistance and has the flexibility to add more factors in the future, says CTFB.