One in four children in the Dallas-Fort Worth area now lives in a household that doesn't always know where the next meal is coming from. For Sachse-based 5 Loaves Ministries, that's not a distant statistic.
"These aren't statistics — we know these children by name," executive director Rebekah Rodgers wrote in a July 29 post calling on Murphy, Wylie and Sachse neighbors to help.
A Feeding America report confirmed Texas leads the nation in food insecurity for the third consecutive year, with more than 6 million Texans lacking reliable access to food. The DFW child hunger rate jumped from one in five to one in four over the past year, and across North Texas, nearly 1.4 million people are food insecure, including more than 500,000 children.
"What's most alarming about that is that has grown. Last year it was one in five children," Sarah Burns of the North Texas Food Bank told Spectrum News on Aug. 3.
More than half of food-insecure families in the region earn too much to qualify for SNAP benefits, leaving organizations like 5 Loaves to fill the gap.
800 families a week, right here
Founded as a ministry of NorthPointe Church of Christ, 5 Loaves now supports more than 800 families weekly in Sachse and surrounding communities including Wylie, Murphy, Garland, Lavon, St. Paul and Rowlett. The food pantry is open Tuesdays from 8 to 10 a.m. and Thursdays starting at 8 a.m. Residents need only an address verification to receive help.
The organization's Backpack Program sends bags of food home with students on weekends after school counselors identify children who lack food access at home. That program resumes when classes begin: Garland ISD starts Monday, Aug. 10 and Wylie ISD starts Thursday, Aug. 13.
Back 2 School Bash aimed to serve 400 kids
On Saturday, July 18, 5 Loaves held its fourth annual Back 2 School Bash at its Sachse location. The event, themed "Bright Futures Start Here" and sponsored by the Wylie East Fork Rotary Club, was expected to serve 400 children with new backpacks filled with school supplies, free haircuts and oral care resources.
"We know that a successful school year begins long before the first bell rings," Rodgers told Sachse News ahead of the July 18 event. She said the goal was to remove barriers for families and help every child walk into school with confidence.
Wylie ISD publicly recognized 5 Loaves in May for helping district graduates build workplace skills through a mentoring program.
How neighbors can help
5 Loaves is asking residents to volunteer time at the pantry, host food drives through workplaces, churches, schools or neighborhoods, share the organization's mission on social media, or donate financially to fund bulk food purchases and fresh-product rescue.
The pantry can be reached at 469-767-8071 or 5loavesministries.org.
