Free fridge opens in Del Valle food desert

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As Austin’s population continues to boom, so too does the small town near the airport known as Del Valle.

According to data from the City of Austin, Del Valle’s population hovers at around 3,200 people.

Although the town is growing with new neighbors and businesses, its residents are driving multiple miles to reach a grocery store.

Del Valle is currently the largest food desert in Travis County. A food desert is an area without access to affordable and healthy food.

In this case, Del Valle’s nearest grocery store is 10-15 miles away at the H-E-B on East Riverside Drive.

To help with the lack of available food options, the Del Valle Community Coalition recently opened up a free fridge at Elroy Community Library.

The pantry is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The fridge is stocked with things like bread, bacon and cereal.

Claudia Zapata is a project manager with the Del Valle Community Coalition.

"Our community fridge has allowed us to provide one short term solution to the lack of food that exists in Del Valle,” she said.

The fridge is funded by the City of Austin’s Food Justice Mini Grant.

According to the DVCC, over 75 families have benefitted from the free fridge since it opened in January.

District 2 Austin City Councilwoman Vanessa Fuentes believes that more changes must be made.

"They have been on the receiving end of all this growth and they see the new housing being built around here,” she said. “The fact of the matter is, there is still yet [to be] a full-service grocery store."

There is a security camera on site at the free fridge, and the DVCC is asking families to limit themselves to filling up two bags per visit.

The Central Texas Food Bank also recently launched an onsite food pantry at its south Austin location on Montopolis Drive, about six miles away from Del Valle.

As far as a grocery store goes, H-E-B has purchased a plot of land at the corner of Highway 71 & FM 973. Although it has yet to break ground, as the grocery store chain has opted out of building it until the area becomes more developed.