The month-long project sponsored by Tom Thumb and Albertsons Companies totaled $30,000 and included new shelving and a reconfigured layout for the food pantry, a news release from the organization states.
The gist
The organization was founded in 1989 and serves a number of cities in north Collin County including McKinney, according to its website. The organization looks to aid Collin County residents facing crises, with the goal of helping individuals avoid homelessness and regain stability, the release states.
Community Lifeline Center offers food assistance through its grocery store-style food pantry location in McKinney, at satellite food pantry locations and at weekly mobile food distribution events in McKinney and surrounding areas. The organization also offers emergency financial assistance for families in crisis, including rent assistance for McKinney residents as well as for utility costs for clients of Cirro Energy, CoServ, and TXU Energy, according to its website.
The organization serves an average of 150 families during open food pantry hours on Tuesday-Friday each week, the release states. In 2024, the organization served over 103,000 people through its programming, with 53% of people served being elderly, disabled and children, the release states.
Community Lifeline Center has distributed $345,000 in financial assistance as well as 702 tons of food since 2023. Despite the assistance provided, the organization has only approved 27% of assistance applications it has received due to limited resources, organization officials said in an email.
The update
The expansion project included new refrigeration and shelving, a storage unit, new grocery carts and new associate utility carts. The project also included removing a conference room and reconfiguring the existing pantry to allow for easier access, the release states, including a new rear entrance for food drop off.
The project retained the organization’s client choice-style food pantry, where visitors can shop and select their own food items similar to a grocery store.
“It's just respectful, and it honors people's integrity and their ability to choose what they want instead of us saying, ‘Here you go, here's what we think you want,'” Liz Strand Cimini, who is the past president of the CLC Board, said of the client choice pantry.
The remodeled and expanded pantry will enable Community Lifeline Center staff to store more food, serve more clients and increase efficiency, the release states.
“We are incredibly grateful to Albertsons and Tom Thumb for their generous investment in our food pantry renovation,” said Robin Forsythe, executive director of Community Lifeline Center, in the release. “This transformation will not only improve the experience for the families we serve but will also allow us to operate more efficiently and expand our impact. It’s a powerful example of what can happen when businesses and nonprofits come together to support the communities we serve.”
A ribbon-cutting event held May 13 welcomed over 150 people to celebrate the opening of the renovated space. Representatives of Tom Thumb and Albertsons Companies volunteered at the center prior to the debut of the expanded pantry, including Wes Jackson, who serves as southern division president of Albertsons Co.
“At Tom Thumb and Albertsons, it's our purpose to bring people together around the joys of food and to inspire well-being,” Jackson said in the release. “We do this through our stores and the customers we serve and through our community support initiatives like this one. We are proud to be a part of the incredible work CLC is doing to nourish neighbors in McKinney and Collin County.”
Diving in deeper
Strand Cimini, who has served on the organization’s board since 2016, said the organization has grown during her time on the board, both in clients served and in physical space.
The organization has expanded into various spaces within the office building it operates in, and Strand Cimini said the organization has plans to continue expanding its footprint as space becomes available.
The organization is able to distribute food due to its partnership with local grocers and businesses such as Kroger and Albertsons, as well as the North Texas Food Bank.
Community Lifeline Center also has access to Feeding America’s food rescue platform MealConnect through its partnership with NTFB, which enables food distributors like grocery stores and restaurants to connect with food banks for the distribution of food that may otherwise become food waste. Strand Cimini called the partnerships with local food distributing partners a “win-win.”
“It's really this perfect, virtuous cycle of connecting food with need and making people feel good,” Strand Cimini said. “Our people love that they can offer good stuff to the people that come in, and then the grocery stores love that they're helping the community and they're not throwing stuff away.”
Also of note
Robin Forsythe was appointed as the organization’s new director in mid-2024.
Forsythe, an attorney and small business owner, has volunteered with the organization since 2020, and has previously served as vice chair of the CLC board.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to support CLC in an expanded capacity during this important time in the organization’s history,” Forsythe said in a news release. “We see the need in North Collin County continuing to grow as the population continues to increase, economic factors continue making it difficult for families to make ends meet, and affordable housing becomes increasingly scarce.”
Get involved
Community members interested in supporting the organization can contribute through monetary donations and as a volunteer at the food pantry. The organization also accepts support through business partnerships.
Community members in need of assistance can visit the food pantry, which is open 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Friday each week. Eligible visitors must provide a proof of address, photo identification and live in the organization’s service area. To apply for rent and utility assistance, visit the organization’s website.
- Expanded May 2025
- 1601 Waddill Street, McKinney
- www.communitylifeline.org
