8 minute read
Joining Hands to Help Those in Need
Mary & Roy Warkentine are Co-Directors at the Wylie Community Christiam Care Center.
Photos by Ethan Good Photography
In Texas, and especially in our Wylie community, we are particularly proficient at providing food. Whether in time of celebration or of mourning, the southern way is to bake a cake or make a casserole.
In this portion of Collin County, we are blessed with a rich volunteer base, members of which contribute to the community in partnership with local nonprofits.
Not-for-profit organizations, by definition, raise money with the goal of funding community objectives, rather than to turn a profit for the organization itself; the only funding that stays within the organization is used to keep it up and running and pay for day-today activities. Wylie’s extensive patchwork of such entities fosters civic engagement, promotes education, encourages health of both people and animals, and works to inspire, protect, and enlighten the lives of all ages of residents from many socioeconomic conditions. Several of our nonprofits offer food and other resources for those in need.
With the holidays just around the corner, it is a fantastic time to begin thinking about our neighbors who may be slightly less fortunate or even food insecure.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2022 definition, food insecurity is a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food. Hunger is an individual-level physiological condition that may result from food insecurity.
The organization Feeding Texas says that 13% of Texans qualify as food insecure. That equates to one in eight Texans or nearly 4 million individuals. That same resource tells us there are approximately 138,000 food-insecure people in Collin County alone, equating to 16% of the population. Of those foodinsecure individuals, 48,000 are kids. That means 20% of the children right within our own neighborhoods are experiencing food insecurity.
Many factors contribute to food insecurity: poverty, unemployment, or low income. The truth is that any of us could fall subject to this condition at any time, should we experience a significant change in one major life factor, so now is the call to awareness. Now is the call for action.
Wylie is blessed with a number of non-profit organizations, serving every sector of the community and surrounding cities. These organizations provide not only food, but goods and services as well. Three that are major contributors of food are Amazing Grace Food Pantry and Wylie Community Christian Care Center in Wylie and 5 Loaves Food Pantry in Sachse.
Wylie Community Christian Care Center
wyliecommunitychristiancare.org Wylie Community Christian Care Center is staffed solely by volunteers and, in addition to a few fundraisers, depends on donations from the community, businesses, organizations, individuals, and schools, as well as grants from sources like Farmers Electric Cooperative, TXU, and Nourishing Neighbors (that is a part of Albertsons/Tom Thumb).
According to its director Mary Warkentine, Wylie Independent School District is the largest donor of food. Each year, the district hosts a food drive to benefit the organization. It is a great time for students and families to learn about food insufficiency and to come together toward the common goal of helping their fellow neighbor. This organization has celebrated over 40 years of service to the Wylie community. “The district conducts a food drive every fall that is amazing,” Mary stated, adding that the facility receives no government funding and works in conjunction with other local food pantries to share excess items. “Our goal is to make sure that no one in our community goes hungry. We don’t turn anyone away for food,” she said.
Mary also said that the number of new clients was up 100% this year. Wylie Community Christian Care Center also supplies basics such as diapers and gently used clothing and works with local school counselors to help families get much-needed resources. Somewhat unique to this organization, financial assistance is provided for rent or utilities once per year, and these requests are up 71% so far for 2022.
The center serves an average of 250 families each month and anticipates that by the end of this year it will have paid out $150,000 for rent and utilities. Current food needs are listed on the website and Facebook page to allow community members to be more intentional in their donations.
Amazing Grace Food Pantry
Karen Ellis, director of Amazing Grace Food Pantry.
Photos by Ethan Good Photography
Karen Ellis, director of Amazing Grace Food Pantry in Wylie, said, “Amazing Grace Food Pantry is exclusively a volunteer organization, committed to providing nutritional food to our community struggling to make ends meet. Food insecurity can strike anyone at any time. Meeting essential needs every week with dignity, without judgment, tailoring each family box to their special dietary needs in a clean, organized and safe environment are some of the frequent comments clients have given about Amazing Grace Food Pantry. Each new client soon realizes they are welcomed and greeted like family.”
She said that the food pantry has already served over 2,100 families and over 9,500 individuals during 2022, providing over 1.7 million meals to our community. Amazing Grace also works with area school counselors, providing weekly weekend meals to five area schools for 180 students in need.
Loss of jobs, reduced hours, relocation to the area, and cost-of-living increases are just some of the causes Karen listed as reasons for increased hardship for many families. Some families are experiencing food insecurity for the very first time, and Amazing Grace Food Pantry does an excellent job of making sure each client is treated with the utmost respect.
Clark Sutton
James Watts
Ronni Fetzer
5 Loaves Food Pantry
5 Loaves Food Pantry volunteers
A young volunteer works at the pet pantry.
Audrey Wallace is the founder and director of 5 Loaves Food Pantry in Sachse. The organization’s humble beginnings were in a ministry house of North Pointe Church of Christ. Audrey said the idea for the organization was the result of an impactful trip to Honduras several years ago. When she returned, she was struggling with how to help food-insufficient individuals far away, but a lady at her local church asked whether she would be willing to oversee the church’s Benevolence Program. It had been started to assist local families with food and other needs right here in the community. Audrey accepted the challenge, and the program expanded, became 5 Loaves, and physically outgrew the church ministry house. A grant from the City of Sachse and the City of Wylie funded a new facility, enabling 5 Loaves to provide for more families.
Audrey said one of her favorite quotes was from Mother Teresa: “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”
Today, 5 Loaves serves over 2,500 families each month. They have also expanded their offerings to include diapers, baby formula, clothing, and personal hygiene. They are home to a pet pantry and a community garden tended by Sachse Lions Club. The newest ministry is the beacon of hope. Audrey said, “We come alongside people and families that are struggling, be it with homelessness, mentally, physically, and emotionally, and help them take the next step with counseling, job searches, and other ways to give them a hand up to succeed in life – helping guide them to a better life.”
The pantry has a growing coffee ministry; 5 Loaves Coffee is ground and bagged by local Wylie Independent School District special needs students learning life skills. The program continues to build and flourish, and the goal is to educate and encourage local businesses to use and sell the coffee in their own shops. Every 1-pound bag of coffee sold provides 28 pounds of food to the pantry. In addition, it is giving back to the community in the form of providing valuable work skills for young adults through partnering with the district.
The pantry began its seventh year in September of 2022, and Audrey said she is very excited to see where God is leading her and this ministry, 5 Loaves Food Pantry.
Representatives of all three pantries noted how the COVID pandemic has altered their experiences, whether through means of distribution or volunteer needs. Some commented on the changes in meat and other grocery prices and availability being felt throughout the country; prices are being driven up, leading to the need for more donations in order to keep the doors open. Although local pantries relied on food overages contributed by grocery stores, many of the supermarkets are finding they simply do not have excess food to spare. The organizations, therefore, must buy food or rely on community donations at a time when the economy is causing challenges for all.
All three organizations stressed the need for volunteers and donations. If you are able to donate your time, resources, If you can’t feed a hundred people, or food to any of our local food pantries, please consider doing so. These volunteers work extremely hard for our Mother Teresa community. They provide an invaluable service to the good people of Wylie and surrounding areas. We can all use a helping hand every now and then. •
