As of April 1, there will be new changes in local food pantry leadership. From left, Audrey Wallace, founder/director of 5 Loaves Food Pantry in Sachse, will relieve Wylie Christian Care Center directors Mary and Ron Warkentine of their duties. The couple will continue to volunteer and pursue future travel plans.

A legacy of mentorship and passion inspired by a longtime businessman and philanthropist will continue as the Wylie Community Christian Care Center welcomes a new director on April 1.

As longtime directors Mary and Ron Warkentine step down, they pass the torch to Audrey Wallace, founder of 5 Loaves Food Pantry in Sachse.

In turn, Wallace will pass leadership of 5 Loaves to Assistant Pantry Director Rebekah Rodgers, who she has mentored and trained.

“I am ready, and I’m very excited about it too,” Rodgers said.

For the Warkentines, Wallace’s appointment was a welcome and surprising development after submitting their request to the board in January 2024 to find a new director so they could step back and pursue retirement goals which include travel.

“We were floored when we learned Audrey had applied for the job,” Ron said. “I thought, ‘You’ve got to be kidding, that’s perfect.’”

After sustaining a traumatic brain injury in an auto accident last year, Wallace’s recovery process led her to step back from full-time work at 5 Loaves, intensifying Rodgers’ training process. In the meantime, Wallace said she spent four months in prayer before applying for the Care Center position.

“How can I give my baby [5 Loaves] to somebody else so I can pick up somebody else’s?” Wallace said. “But Rebekah’s perfect. She’ll do an amazing job and she’s energetic.”

While Wallace embraces her new role, the Warkentines will remain involved as volunteers with Ron continuing to manage the Care Center’s IT and network systems.

Wallace does not plan to make immediate changes at the Care Center, which has served the community since its founding as a food pantry in 1974. The Care Center became part of the Wylie Ministerial Alliance in 1982 and moved to its current Brown Street location in 2014.

The Care Center operates three days a week, providing food, clothing and financial assistance for utilities and rent.

It relies entirely on local donations, which have increased due to rising demand, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Warkentines, the Care Center distributed between $170,000 and $180,000 in rent and utility assistance last year.

“In February, because of that cold snap, people’s bills were doubled,” Mary added. “We had over 500 new clients last year, and we’re seeing the same thing again this year.”

A Mentoring Angel

The transitions at both food pantries share a common thread: the influence of Raymond Cooper. Cooper, a co-founder of the Care Center and community advocate who passed away last year, was instrumental in guiding Wallace, the Warkentines, and many others, in their service efforts.

When COVID-19 led the previous Care Center director to resign, Cooper personally asked the Warkentines, volunteers at the time, to take the role. Knowing they couldn’t say “no” to the very persuasive Cooper, the couple took on the task, refusing payment for their services, said Mary, “because we wanted to develop it and grow it.” They did, however, acknowledge the need for a paid director following them to manage the pantry effectively.

Over time the couple have made some adjustments to the operations, often working well beyond the routine hours picking up donations, shopping for pantry supplies during the summer, managing school donations, fundraisers and monitoring calls and email requests for assistance from home.

“It’s like being on call 24/7 because somebody like Honey Baked Hams will call and say ‘Hey, I’ve got a bunch of hams here. Can you come get them?’” Ron said.

Up until months before his death, Cooper continued to visit the Care Center to help stock shelves, offer advice and do what he loved most … mentor others.

Wallace, who first connected with Cooper years ago while working in marketing at American National Bank, helped organize events like the Taste of Wylie and the annual Christian Care golf tournament for the first “10 years it existed,” said Wallace. Cooper affectionately called her “Little Audrey,” after a cartoon character he remembered.

When Wallace sought advice on starting a food pantry in Sachse, Cooper mentored her over lunches, coffee breaks and visits.

“When I built the pantry in Sachse, he toured it and told me how proud he was of me,” she said.

Wallace intends to continue Cooper’s legacy at the Care Center, and by focusing on long-term solutions for families, such as job training and financial education, reinforcing his belief in “teaching people to fish, not just giving them a fish.”

Both the Care Center and 5 Loaves actively collaborate with other local food pantries, including Amazing Grace Food Pantry and Hope for the Cities. The partnership allows the pantries to share resources and avoid duplication of services.

All the pantries, along with local nonprofits, are part of the Great Wylie Resource Connection formed years ago.

“A lot of people can’t grasp that we’re not in competition,” Wallace said. “It’s not a race to see who can give food or pay someone’s bill first. We’re all serving people in need, and we’re all helping the community. Why wouldn’t we work together?”

Looking ahead, Wallace is confident in the future of both organizations. She has shared her vision for a future initiative, The Beacon of Hope Center, with Rodgers, ensuring that her legacy at 5 Loaves continues to grow.

“I’ve planted the vision in her. It’s bittersweet,” Wallace said, adding, “I’m very excited to be the face of the Care Center. I could never fill Raymond’s shoes, but to me, I consider it an honor.”

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