During a recent fundraising event, Audrey Wallace announced big plans for the future of 5 Loaves Food Pantry, which serves Sachse and surrounding cities.

Growth of the pantry’s Beacon of Hope ministry along with its other ministries on-site have necessitated the need for a new building that will be located on the same property as the food pantry, said 5 Loaves Executive Director Audrey Wallace. While the food pantry will remain in its current location, the senior citizen resources, clothing and other services will be housed in the new building.

To connect all the services together, there will likely be a drive running through the complex although final plans for the building have not yet been finalized, said Wallace. The plans for the new building were announced during a special banquet at Chase Oaks Church Woodbridge Campus Friday, April 21.

At its current location, 5 Loaves provides clothing, diapers, pet food and products and occasional health clinics. The nonprofit also operates a food pantry in Honduras in addition to selling its own coffee to help cover the cost of procuring food to distribute to the community.

The expansion for the Beacon of Hope ministry comes as there are more people in need of assistance because they are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, Wallace said, adding that other areas that offer resources may not offer everything that is needed. Her plans for the new facility include the ability to host child care so parents can take a resume writing or financial literacy course.

There will also be the option for counseling for both adults and children to ensure all needs are met. Wallace said she is looking to partner with other area nonprofits, such as His Gracious Hands in Wylie, to build a strong network of resources.

“They want to be able to expand and do adults and children as well, have more days available, be able to have a dentist and eye clinic and provide services for these families,” Wallace said. “Maybe, we’ll also have after-school programs so when kids are picked up and brought to the facility, parents can come after work.”

There will also likely be a kitchen facility meaning the nonprofit could potentially feed families in need while providing them the resources through Beacon of Hope and other 5 Loaves ministries.

“As I started realizing there are so many churches that do something very well, [and we can] bring them in and let them teach,” Wallace said. “Bringing in the community as well to be able to serve these families will meet a lot of needs and serve a lot of people with this.” 

Wallace added that her vision for the project began around eight months ago as she contemplated stepping away to enjoy retirement. However, she felt she was called to continue serving and spoke with Northpointe Church about expanding the footprint of the pantry and its ministries. So far, she already has a firm willing to design the new space, an engineer for the project and companies willing to contribute supplies to furnish the new building. “As soon as we get through with the auction, we’ll make appointments to sit down and decide how many buildings, rooms and how big of a kitchen we need,” Wallace said. “We want to have a coffee area where kids with special needs can learn life skills and work in the coffee shop, learn how to serve coffee and work with people.” Overall, Wallace said her impact is about “teaching skills for life” instead of simply providing resources. “It’s going to be a blessing for a lot of families in the community,” Wallace said. “With the cities, churches and nonprofits coming together and working for the same purpose, we can really teach them how to sustain and give them hope that they can have a better life.”

Special Thanks to the Sachse News for the Article! Find part of the original story on the Sachse News site – https://sachsenews.com/2023/05/05/area-food-pantry-announces-facility-expansion/