About FEED Oak Cliff

In November 2014, Anga Sanders had an eye-opening moment at an Albertson’s in Uptown. Staring at the vibrant salad bar overflowing with fresh greens, crisp veggies, and even pineapple chunks, she realized something stark—there was nothing like this south of the Trinity River.

Anga had been driving 13 miles from her Oak Cliff home to shop at this store, simply because there were no quality grocery stores near her neighborhood. Oak Cliff, which covers over 54% of Dallas and is home to 200,000+ residents, is a food desert. The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines it as a “low-access community” where a third of the population lives more than a mile from a supermarket.

But Anga calls it “food apartheid”—a stark reflection of the policies that have left South Dallas underserved while grocery giants flock north. Down south, food options are mostly limited to dollar stores, gas stations, and discount markets like Sav-A-Lot, where the food is often overpriced and subpar.

These disparities have turned Dallas into home to some of the unhealthiest zip codes in Texas, plagued by obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related diseases. In 75215, a food desert, men live 26 years less than those in more affluent areas like 75204. Anga saw this as a grave injustice and set out to change it.

Enter FEED Oak Cliff.  After a small but determined group of neighborhood activists gathered in 2015, their mission became clear: bring healthier grocery stores to these food deserts south of Interstate 30 in Dallas. But when corporations refused, citing outdated stereotypes of southern Dallas, FEED Oak Cliff decided to take matters into their own hands. They’re now on a mission to build a transformative community market featuring a grocery store, a bistro with healthy takeout, and a commercial kitchen for local chefs to grow their businesses. The journey is far from over.