Hope for the Cities Director Jon Bailey stands in the warehouse space the nonprofit currently shares with Wylie Christian Care Center.  Jeremy Hallock/The Wylie News

Addressing poverty requires a variety of services and the needs can be overwhelming. But thankfully local food pantries work together to connect resources and help families.

Karen Ellis, Executive Director of Amazing Grace Food Pantry, said the nonprofit was able to keep up with demand this year “by the grace of God.” Demand was up 30% from last year, she said, which is a typical annual increase. 

Amazing Grace started in 2006 with “about a dozen families,” Ellis said. This year, the all-volunteer nonprofit served “about 3,200 families,” with Ellis adding that each family is only counted one time regardless of how often they visit. 

Visits this year topped 25,000 and Ellis said Amazing Grace serves “about 700” families per week and averages “180 to 200” families daily. Amazing Grace served about 3.5 million pounds of food in 2023, she said, which is about three million meals. 

Amazing Grace is a member of the North Texas Food Bank serving Collin County. But Ellis said they are known for “giving more food than most pantries,” which regularly draws visits from families from areas as far away as Fort Worth and Hunt County.

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