Feeding a big need

B.I.G. Feed fights food insecurity in Wylie ISD

By Sonia Duggan

Driven by the urgent need to address students’ weekend hunger, the B.I.G. Feed initiative at Wylie United Methodist Church has been quietly making a significant impact on the lives of children in Wylie Independent School District since 2009.

The program’s origins stem from a disturbing realization by church members that many students who relied on free and reduced lunch programs were returning to school on Mondays hungry. 

In response, the church launched the B.I.G. Feed— an effort whose name, “But in God,” reflects their mission to provide both nourishment and hope to the community’s most vulnerable children during the school year.

Now what began as a response to a local need has evolved into a community-wide effort, ensuring that children return to school each Monday with full stomachs and ready to learn.

“I’m sure there are some children that may not have somebody at home to cook for them all the time, so we’re helping along that line,” Cathy Dunlap, coordinator of the B.I.G. Feed at Wylie UMC said. “If they’ve got a microwave, or even if they just want to open up a package, there’s usually something they can eat.”

The success of the B.I.G. Feed is a testament to the collaborative effort of local churches, food pantries and volunteers from the community. 

The church now partners with Amazing Grace and 5 Loaves food pantries for contributions of kid-friendly and nutritious foods to the food inventory. 

Karen Ellis, Amazing Grace Food Pantry director, said they teamed up with WUMC with their Food4Kids program in August 2019.  

“This has been a beautiful ministry to provide weekend food every week to hundreds of kids,” Ellis said. 

Over the years, the program has grown, and in the 2023-24 school year alone, over 7,500 bags of food were delivered to 15 campuses in the district.

Rebekah Rodgers, Assistant Director at 5 Loaves, said they served three schools in the 2023-24 school year and added three more Wylie schools to their Backpack Program this year.

According to Dunlap, WUMC handles the bulk of the work and “carries a lot of the monetary load,” while other churches also help with volunteers and help deliver food.

Since the split between the Methodist churches, Kim Johnson of Our Living Hope Fellowship helps with administrative tasks, said Dunlap, coordinating with school counselors to determine the number of bags needed each week.

“Each week, volunteers assess what our local pantries can provide toward the weekend bags,” Dunlap said. “Additional single-serving food items are then purchased to ensure that each child receives enough food for the weekend.”

The food distribution process is a well-coordinated effort. During the school year, most of the packing happens at Amazing Grace Food Pantry with 5 Loaves Food Pantry also contributing. Volunteers meet at AGFP every Thursday at 9 a.m. to pack, then pray over, food for the program before loading 25-50 bags, or as many as needed for their school deliveries, into each car.

At 5 Loaves in Sachse, Rodgers said students from the Adulting Well class at Wylie High School help pack around 90 bags each week for the program.

“We love having the teens here working,” she said. “They are so happy to help and do a great job.”

Volunteers from Our Living Hope Fellowship pick up the bags assembled at 5 Loaves for delivery each week.

The bags, which typically include items like ramen, single-serve mac and cheese, SpaghettiOs, nonperishable milk, juice boxes, a treat, cereal, and oatmeal, are then delivered to the school counseling offices, where they are distributed to the children.

The B.I.G. Feed has become an essential resource for many families in Wylie ISD. 

“Each week, hundreds of WISD students experiencing food scarcity are provided a weekend food bag to get them through until they return to school to receive a meal,” said Wylie ISD Family Liaison Joley Martin. 

During the summer, the program received a boost when Wylie UMC’s Vacation Bible School held a food drive competition, collecting 2,500 single servings to help stock the B.I.G. Feed to kick off the beginning of the school year.

For students, the need extends beyond just weekend meals. 

Several years ago, Dunlap said coaches at Wylie East High School reached out to let them know that they had athletes who needed more nutrition to do the sports they were doing.
“We now furnish post workout snacks to help with this,” Dunlap said, adding she now makes regular trips to Sam’s Club to purchase the necessary items and takes them to Wylie East.

A call to action

Martin noted that the Wylie community has consistently rallied to support families in need, emphasizing that providing basic necessities like food alleviates worries for both children and parents. 

“The outpouring of love and care is evident each week through this act of service, and the district is deeply grateful for the UMC and pantry partners who make weekend food bags possible every week of the school year,” she said.

Despite the generosity of church members and the community, the rising cost of goods has made it increasingly difficult to keep up with the demand said Dunlap. On average, Wylie UMC spends $1,500 each month to purchase additional food to supplement what is provided by Amazing Grace and 5 Loaves food pantries.

Even with the program’s success, Dunlap said there are growing concerns about its sustainability and voiced the church’s worry that they may struggle to maintain the B.I.G. Feed long-term due to financial constraints. 

“Special offerings are collected throughout the year to support the program, and although church members and the community have generously contributed, it’s been challenging to keep up with the purchasing needs because of rising costs,” Dunlap explained.

As North Texas Giving Day approaches, the B.I.G. Feed nonprofit is calling on the community.

 “Our goal is to fund the program for the year at $15,000,” Dunlap said. “Any donations exceeding this year’s need will be set aside for the 2025-26 school year.”

Rising food prices and the number of families seeking help is climbing, stretching the resources of the pantries. 

Amazing Grace and 5 Loaves are also asking for monetary support on North Texas Giving Day for their programs and the communities they serve. 

Donations for all participating nonprofits can be made at northtexasgivingday.org starting Sept.1, with the campaign concluding on Sept. 19.

“All working together, we can make this happen,” Dunlap added. “Wylie UMC urgently needs monetary help to ensure that food insecurity is not an issue in Wylie ISD.