Top 10 from 2025
2025 was another incredible year for our community. Because of you, we served more people, enrolled and graduated more apprentices, and engaged volunteers to serve more hours than we ever have before.
So much happened in 2025, its hard to sum up the year. But in true Tonight Show fashion, we have compiled a list of our Top 10:
10. Moments That Made Us Smile
From Morgan’s engagement at Taste Community Restaurant to our Volunteer Showcase Dinner and Celebrity Chef Dinner Series, 2025 was filled with moments of joy and celebration. All are reminders that transformation happens through connection, hospitality, and shared life.
9. City Spirit Recognized
Taste Project and the City of Arlington received the Texas Municipal League Award for City Spirit, honoring a partnership rooted in collaboration, trust, and shared commitment to serving the community.
8. The World at Our Table
We hosted the One World Everybody Eats Annual Summit of Community Cafes in Arlington, welcoming community café leaders from across the country to learn, collaborate, and celebrate dignified responses to hunger.
7. Planning with Purpose
Our Board of Directors and Staff embarked on a five-year strategic planning process, building on past plans that led to our Culinary Job Training Program and our second location in Arlington. We are excited for what the next five years will bring.
6. A First for Arlington
We hosted our first Apprentice Showcase Dinner in Arlington, celebrating the growth and transformation of our Culinary Apprenticeship Program. Since the very first Showcase Dinner, 83 apprentices have come through the program, and this night marked a powerful continuation of that story.
5. Research That Confirms the Impact
New Texas A&M research validated what we see every day at Taste Community Restaurant: our model increases long-term food security for guests over time. Demonstrating that dignified dining works.
4. Arlington, We're Open
We celebrated the opening of our second Taste Community Restaurant in Arlington, expanding our ability to serve meals, train apprentices, and deepen our partnerships across the city.
3. Standing Firm When Benefits Were Uncertain
When the threat of a federal shutdown and a potential pause in SNAP benefits created anxiety for families across Tarrant County, Taste Project remained steady in its commitment — our table stayed open, offering stability, dignity, and hope.
2. 300,000 Meals and Counting
This year, we crossed an extraordinary milestone: 300,000 meals served. Each meal represents nourishment, dignity, and connection — and the collective impact of a community saying 'yes'.
1. You! Our Greatest Gift
Before the meals, before the milestones, before the momentum — there is you. Volunteers, donors, guests, partners, and friends who continue to say yes when God asks. Taste Project exists because of you.
Thank you for helping serve more people and engage more volunteers to serve more hours than ever before! We are grateful for your support in 2025 and we look forward to partnering with you in 2026. Happy New Year!
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About Taste Project
Taste Project is a 501(c)3 non-profit established to feed, educate, and serve our community so they may “…taste and see the Lord is good.” Psalm 34:8. We believe everyone should have access to healthy nutritious food. Our vision is to see our community become the solution to the challenges our community faces as it relates to hunger. Our first project, Taste Community Restaurant at 1200 South Main Street in Fort Worth, focuses on healthy, quality meals made from fresh ingredients. Our menu has no prices. This is a give-and-take concept. We ask guests to do one of the following: 1) pay what you can afford, 2) pay what you would typically pay, or 3) pay what you would typically pay, plus a little extra. In March 2025, Taste Project opened its second Taste Community Restaurant location at 200 North Cooper Street in Arlington. To learn more, visit us at www.tasteproject.org or find us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
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