First Baptist Rockwall brought cereal last month to Amazing Grace Food Pantry. Courtesy photo

As the holiday season approaches, food pantries across Wylie and Sachse are preparing for an influx of families in need, driven by rising costs and persistent food insecurity. Area pantries are expanding efforts to meet demand, with each organization expressing gratitude for community support.

Jon Bailey, director of Hope for the Cities in Wylie, emphasized the increase in demand.

“It is such a busy time for everyone,” he said. “We are trying to stay on top of all the needs coming in.”

Bailey noted that Hope for the Cities has served 283,543 meals over the past 12 months, bringing their total to more than a million meals since the organization was formed in 2020. This year alone, Bailey said 352 families have received assistance, with volunteers logging over 10,000 hours of service.

In collaboration with Wylie ISD, Community ISD, Wylie UMC, Wylie Community Christian Care Center and Wylie Police Department, Hope for the Cities is preparing to deliver 310 special Thanksgiving food boxes.

“We are seeing new families signing up for assistance every week,” Bailey said. “We are grateful for the partnerships in the community so that we can work together on meeting the needs.”

At the Amazing Grace Food Pantry on Parker Road, director Karen Ellis said they are also experiencing a steady rise in need.

“We still have very busy November and December months to go,” she said, highlighting the year-to-date totals: 23,853 client visits, 3,667 families serve, and over 2 million meals provided. Amazing Grace Food Pantry ranks third in food distribution among Collin County’s 35 partner agencies, according to the North Texas Food Bank, and is the largest all-volunteer pantry in the county.

Ellis detailed several recent expansions, including an increased client parking area, additional fresh produce options, and an offsite distribution service that delivers essentials to over 200 seniors at nearby facilities. The pantry also assists homeless ministries and Hope Bridge Pregnancy Resource Center.

“God is using this little pantry for big things in our community,” Ellis said.

Mary Warkentine, co-director of the Wylie Community Christian Care Center, expects to serve 500 families in November and December.

“This has been a busy year for the Care Center,” she said. “We have seen many new clients who are struggling with the continued increase in rent, utilities and groceries. Most of them have never had to visit a food pantry and ask for assistance.”

By the end of the year, the Care Center anticipates serving 1,200 families and spending approximately $174,000 on rent and utilities alone—a significant increase over last year.

“It has been a struggle to keep our shelves stocked,” Warentine said. “It has taken an additional $30,000 of our funds to purchase food.”

Warkentine highlighted a unique aspect of their holiday support: rather than providing Thanksgiving box dinners as many pantries do, the Care Center instead focuses on supplying a turkey and a box of necessary items to make a complete Christmas dinner.

“We want to help families celebrate Christmas together with a full meal, so we make sure they have everything they need for a festive holiday dinner,” she said.

Warkentine also emphasized the importance of community contributions, such as the Wylie ISD Legacy Food Drive, among others, the help to alleviate the rising costs straining the Care Center’s resources.

“We need your support to continue serving all those in our community who are facing food insecurity and financial struggles,” she said. “Please prayerfully consider how you can help make a difference in someone’s life.”

At 5 Loaves Food Pantry in Sachse, Assistant Director Rebekah Rodgers described a sharp rise in need, with the pantry currently serving over 4,500 families a month.

“Since August, we are seeing about 150-200 new families a month come to the pantry for food and services,” Rodgers said. With the holidays fast approaching, she expects the numbers to increase further.

One of the pantry’s challenges this season is providing enough turkeys for Thanksgiving.

“We currently only have 90 turkeys allocated for our families and that is not nearly enough,” she said, encouraging community members to donate a turkey or ham.

The food pantry is also preparing for its annual “Christmas for the Children” event, aiming to provide gift bags for over 500 children. Rodgers urged the community to help by purchasing items through the pantry’s Amazon link which can be found at 5loavesfoodpantry.org.

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