Minnie’s Food Pantry Now Serving at its East Plano Facility

Cheryl Jackson and her son R.J. Jackson in front of the painting of Minnie Ewing, the namesake of Minnie's Food Pantry // photo Jennifer Shertzer
Cheryl Jackson and her son R.J. Jackson in front of the painting of Minnie Ewing, the namesake of Minnie's Food Pantry // photo Jennifer Shertzer

Minnie’s Food Pantry began serving the community on Aug. 7 at its new home at 661 E 18th St. For the last four months, the food pantry has been working diligently to create a “Happy Place” for those in need, in an effort to not only put food on their tables but to allow families to receive additional resources in an effort to transform their lives.

“For multiple reasons, we felt the time had come for us to expand and find our forever home in Collin County,” said Cheryl “Action” Jackson, Minnie’s Food Pantry founder. “There remains a growing need to combat food insecurity, and we continue to have our desire to provide numerous programs including job skills training that help families gain long-term food security. That need for more expansion, and the oppositions we were facing from landlords, gave us the perfect opportunity to grow.”

Through 11 years and more than 9.7 million meals served, Minnie’s has moved from shopping center locations of 500 to 16,000 square feet, but now has a 28,343-square-foot stand-alone home of its own to serve as a distribution hub, a state-of-the-art volunteer center and a resale boutique. The facility was identified and obtained through the help of collaborative realtor Cawley Partners.

Minnie's Food Pantry's new east Plano location // photos Jennifer Shertzer
Minnie’s Food Pantry’s new east Plano location // photos Jennifer Shertzer

In support of the expansion of Minnie’s Food Pantry’s facility, Green Mountain Energy Sun Club has generously provided a solar system to reduce its carbon footprint and to mitigate some costs associated with increased utility bills in a larger home.

“The Green Mountain Energy Sun Club is proud to partner with Minnie’s Food Pantry in the shared mission of creating sustainable communities by providing renewable energy and addressing food insecurity,” said Sun Club Executive Director Stacy Mehlhoff. “Minnie’s move will double its capacity to serve the community, but that doesn’t mean a greater burden on the environment or higher electricity bills. More than 50 percent of the facility’s electricity usage will be offset by a new 120 kW solar array donated by Sun Club.”

Wells Fargo CEO Allen Parker volunteered at Minnie’s Food Pantry on June 19 and also announced a $200,000 Wells Fargo donation in support of the food pantry’s expansion. The donation demonstrates the company’s continued focus on strategic giving for local needs.

H-E-B has joined forces with the food pantry for the past five years to continue the mission of reducing hunger in North Texas, and recently donated $50,000 towards the expansion of Minnie’s Food Pantry’s forever home.

Home décor super store At Home has committed to bringing a new level of beauty to Minnie’s Food Pantry by utilizing its design team to decorate Minnie’s Food Pantry’s brand new M-Powerment Center, consisting of a training facility, office space, conference rooms and resource lounge.

New community partners such as Varidesk have also answered the call to action by donating and assembling $40,000 worth of Varidesk products.

Minnie's Food Pantry >

 

Minnie’s Food Pantry
661 E 18th St.
Plano, TX 75074


This information was provided as a press release. 

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