A Tarrant County nonprofit is kicking things into high gear this holiday season for the sake of doing Something Good.
The Awareness Project, located on Pipeline Road in Hurst, serves as a one-stop support system for everything struggling families need – hot meals, a 24/7 food pantry, clothing and even a job resource center. No family or person is turned away.
"Our biggest piece was to be a safe space for people to come in,” said co-founder Stanley Heard, II. "So we're kind of a community center, but in my eyes, it's a hub. We've connected with a lot of resources in this area so that we can kind of minimize the stretch for these families to be able to get help."
Where the project operates is just as unique and crucial as the people it serves – the suburbs of Fort Worth. It’s an area too far away from the bulk of inner city support, but a place where at least 50 percent of the area is living at or below the poverty line, according to co-founder Ryan Martinez.
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"We’re in what you call a QCT community, which is Qualified Census Tract. A lot of what we're seeing here is an increase in refugee families coming in, an increasing minority population coming in as well. A lot of unhoused individuals in this area now,” said Martinez. “But we're also surrounded by really nicer areas. So it's kind of hard to find this here in the middle of the rest of the suburbs that are doing a little better than this area. So that's why we chose this area. It needs help the most and there’s nothing quite like us around.”
The Awareness Project was first profiled by NBC 5 in 2021 when the nonprofit outgrew its original home in Bedford because of needs that increased during the pandemic. It was founded in 2017 as a volunteer group serving homeless families, doing environmental clean-ups along the Trinity, and teaching communities about sustainability.
“We have enough resources in this world to allocate to the people who need it the most, as well as reducing our carbon footprint here in the community. So zero waste concepts are what we use here in this place,” said Martinez.
With the new large space in a shopping center in Hurst, the project also runs a zero-plastic and zero-styrofoam café called Dapper Cafe, an upcycled thrift store called Dapper, Inc. and even an event space to fund their efforts and keep the mission afloat.
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“So the goal is to teach sustainability, but also to recognize the problems that we're facing in and around the community such as homelessness, the increased rate of poverty, as well as an increased rate of food insecure families. So those are things we address from this space in our new Resource Center,” said Martinez.
Throughout the week, those families can come in and get anything they need with no barriers or complicated applications.
“We make appointments throughout the week for people and families that need the food and clothes, housewares, baby items,” said Martinez. “We’re kind of surrounded by government subsidized housing, as well as some apartments for low-income families. So being right here, they can walk to us or get a ride at a reasonable cost.”
Right now, The Awareness Project needs children's clothing for ages 5 to teens, winter clothes, food, and monetary donations. There is also a need for volunteers.
“Even if you come in and dine at Dapper Café, that supports us,” said Heard. “Or have a cup of coffee. We need the fuel to keep the lights on and keep the programs going. And volunteer support. Just getting bodies in to help us push through food, clothing and help us connect appointments.”
For more information about getting involved, click here.
