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Little Elm Area Food Bank asks town to help recoup renovation costs after move to Colin Powell Community Center
Summary
Executive director Joseph Bradley told the Town Council the food bank's monthly clients rose 73% year over year after moving to the Colin Powell Community Center, and asked the town to help cover renovation costs and fund part-time staff to sustain expanded services.
Joseph Bradley, executive director of the Little Elm Area Food Bank, asked the Little Elm Town Council on March 17 to help the charity recoup renovation costs and consider funding for part-time staff after the food bank's recent move to the Colin Powell Community Center.
Bradley said the food bank relocated from 501 Bill Street and opened at the Colin Powell Community Center on Feb. 9. The new site provides roughly four times the space of the previous location and allowed the organization to serve 54 families on its first day there, he said.
"Since we've been there a little over a month we've already had 343 families a month in 2025 and that is a 73% increase in the number of families that we served," Bradley told the council. He said the food bank's monthly average was 198 families in 2024, rising to 343 in 2025.
Bradley described the ways the town has supported the food bank — providing trucks, trailers and staff help during moves and food drives — and said donations from grocery partners helped keep costs low. He told the council the organization spent roughly $17 per family on items it must buy last year, with the remainder of distributed food coming from donations.
"Helping us to recoup some or all of the cost that we spent on the renovations would be helpful and make sure that we can remain on a strong financial footing so that we can be more aggressive in some of the other programs that we'd like to expand into," Bradley said, listing possible expansions such as financial literacy and nutrition education.
Bradley also asked the town to consider support for part-time paid staff; he said he is currently the only paid employee and the organization relies heavily on volunteers. He said some partner organizations, including Tarrant Area Food Bank, have begun charging for supplies that were once provided free, increasing pressure on the local food budget.
Council members thanked Bradley and volunteers for the food bank's work. The council did not vote on direct financial assistance during the meeting; staff and council members said they would continue conversations about potential town support and other nonmonetary assistance such as event booths and logistical help.
The council packet and Bradley's presentation include the food bank's stated monthly client counts, partners and budget figures cited at the meeting.
