How do Unincorporated Communities get Groceries? Results from Interviews and Oral Histories in a Low-income Community in Dallas-Fort Worth

Abstract

Via interviews and oral histories, we examine food access in a low-income, unincorporated community in Dallas County, Texas. We find that car owners and non-owners patronized similar types of stores (primarily big-box stores) for groceries. While owners drove themselves more often than they carpooled as passengers, over 90% of residents used cars to buy food. Yet in-depth interviews and oral histories reveal that measuring transportation resources alone obscures the complexity of community access to food. Despite widespread auto use, many residents had only intermittent access to stores, and some relied on a local food pantry. Some residents also struggled to cook food as they lacked access to electricity and did not own refrigerators or stoves.