DEL VALLE, Texas — With the closest grocery store to Del Valle being more than six miles away, some people living in that area are taking food insecurity into their own hands by pursuing a community-run food co-op.
In 2021, the Austin City Council dedicated $500,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act to make it happen, with an eventual goal of building a permanent, full-service grocery store in Del Valle.
The effort is being led by Go Austin/Vamos Austin, which considered several areas in need of wider food access. Del Valle was found to have the strongest need.
The first step is launching a pilot store with the co-op, which will run out of a shipping container three days a week. KVUE’s media partners at the Austin American-Statesman say the co-op board hopes to have that up and running by next year.
The co-op will be collectively controlled by share-owning members, with profits reinvested into operations or redistributed to members. Co-op membership fees are set at $50, the Statesman said. A board of directors will be elected next month.
Organic agriculture nonprofit Farm Share will assist in sourcing food for the project.
The rapidly growing area is considered a “food desert.” Residents in Del Valle, which has a population of more than 70,000 people, have to rely on dollar stores, convenience stores and small supermarkets such as JD's Supermarkets to get what they need.
In 2016, H-E-B bought land along State Highway 71 and FM 973 in Del Valle but has not yet broken ground on a store. In November last year, Austin Council Member Vanessa Fuentes pressed H-E-B to help increase food access in the area.
"We should be providing infrastructure on the front end for the families who live there now," Fuentes said. "There's just not enough options for an area of that size."