Sustainable Food Center Blue ImpactSM grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas
Funding will expand SFC's statewide efforts to improve food access, nutrition education, and community engagement across Texas.
Austin, TX August 05, 2026, Sustainable Food Center (SFC) announced today it received a Blue Impact grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, an award reflecting BCBSTX’s dedication to community-based organizations that prioritize the well-being of children and families.
The grant recognizes the crucial role of local organizations in fostering positive change, tackling underlying factors that influence health, including socio-economic challenges, and promoting economic opportunities.
Through this investment, the Sustainable Food Center (SFC) will help more Texas families and communities access the resources they need to live healthier lives. The need for this investment is especially urgent. According to a 2025 Feeding America report, Texas now leads the nation in food insecurity, with 1 in 6 households (5.4 million Texans) facing hunger, up from the previous year. This funding will expand access to healthy, locally grown food while supporting Texas farmers and strengthening local economies.
Programs like The Happy Kitchen / La Cocina Alegre, SFC’s free, bilingual cooking and nutrition education program, play a key role in building this more resilient food system. Through classes, participants gain practical, culturally relevant skills to prepare nutritious meals and support their family’s well-being. According to a 2025 Texas Diabetes Council report, nearly 3 million Texas adults, about 12.7% of the adult population, are living with diagnosed diabetes. Programs like this provide tools that can help prevent and manage chronic disease while fostering healthier habits for generations to come.
The impact of this work extends far beyond the kitchen table. Claudia D. Peña first joined The Happy Kitchen / La Cocina Alegre 26 years ago as a parent looking for practical ways to feed her young family.
She later trained as a facilitator, and today her son Rodrigo also works alongside her in the program. “Now we share the stage in the classes,” she added. “Simply, this program is part of our life.”
Since 2011, BCBSTX has awarded more than $30 million through the major grants program to community organizations statewide, touching the lives of millions of Texas children and families over the last 15 years. “At Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, we recognize the important role social and economic factors play in overall health and well-being. These grants help create stronger pathways to healthier futures for children and families across Texas,” said Jim Springfield, Plan President of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. “As we approach a century of serving Texans, we remain committed to advancing meaningful outreach, addressing health disparities, and supporting more equitable care—so all Texans have the opportunity to thrive.”
That commitment to equity takes shape in SFC’s programs like Double Up Food Bucks Texas, which matches every SNAP dollar spent on fruits and vegetables, doubling what families can buy at no extra cost, and its WIC Nutrition Support program, which offers similar seasonal vouchers to pregnant women, new parents, and young children, worth up to $120 per family in Central Texas with county funding.
To learn more about supporting or participating in SFC’s programs, visit sustainablefoodcenter.org