Photo by Sherelle BlackGRACE Food Pantry manager
Known for pioneering nonprofit Grapevine Relief And Community Exchange's self-serve food pantry, Rusty Thigpen helps serve the more than 7,600 individuals in Greater Northeast Tarrant County who visit the pantry each year. The pantry, which opened in September 2006, gives away an average of 676,000 pounds of food each year, he said.
With more than 1,700 households served annually at the pantry, some of Thigpen's responsibilities include making sure that the pantry remains stocked, raising more awareness of the pantry and making sure the nonprofit has enough volunteers to keep the pantry running efficiently.
Thigpen helps manage more than 60 volunteers who are scheduled regularly to help restock food, check out clients and sort out food from food drives. Thigpen also helps oversee GRACE's community garden, which together with donations produces an estimated 3,000 pounds of fresh produce for the food pantry each year.
Additionally, GRACE provides 38,500 meals through its GRACE Feed Our Kids program, which provides meals for children from low-income families during summer months.
