Editor’s Note: With North Texas Giving Day coming on Thursday, CBS News Texas is highlighting local nonprofits and showing how donations make a difference in the community.
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In Sachse, on the edge of Dallas and Collin counties, a small food pantry has quietly become a lifeline for hundreds of families struggling to make ends meet.
5 Loaves Food Pantry opens its doors every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, drawing long lines of people waiting for boxes of food to fill their tables.
“This place is amazing, and the people are astounding,” said Paula Swinford, a 5 Loaves client.
“We don’t have to worry about our next meal, or what we’re going to do for dinner,” said Katia Romero Paramo, another client.
From a few shelves to hundreds
Founded 10 years ago with just a few shelves of food, 5 Loaves now serves more than 800 families a week. Executive Director Rebekah Rogers said the pantry has increased its distribution by 274% in the past two and a half years.
“The need has just grown, and we want to serve God’s people,” Rogers said.
Staff attribute the growing need to the high cost of living, which forces many families to choose between paying rent and buying groceries. 5 Loaves eases that burden by providing food, clothing, hygiene items, and even pet food.
Meeting needs on the metroplex edge
Staff say pantries like this are especially important in areas on the outskirts of the metroplex, meeting families where they live so they don’t have to travel far for help.
For clients like Lashonda Youngblood, a widow and cancer survivor, the pantry has been a lifeline while she rebuilds her life.
“It’s no judgment; you don’t have to answer all these questions about what’s going on in your life,” Youngblood said. “When I get back on my feet, I want to come back and volunteer.”
Matching donations, filling more plates
That spirit of giving keeps 5 Loaves running. This North Texas Giving Day, the nonprofit hopes to raise $50,000, with every dollar up to $25,000 matched.
“This year, our theme is ‘Let’s fill a plate!'” Rogers said. Donations will help keep shelves stocked and families fed.
Volunteers welcome, no donation required
Even those unable to give money can contribute time.
“My goal is for people to know who we are, and that they’re welcome not just to get food, but to volunteer and see their hands in action,” Rogers said.