Jack and Beth Wyman only needed six minutes. That’s how long it usually took them to make the short walk home from their friend and pastor Rob Veal’s home in Highland Village, and it’s the same amount of time they needed to decide that the idea for a new nonprofit Veal pitched to them and a few other couples that night was worth investing in—for themselves and the community.
“It was fair to say that Beth and I were impressed, so much so that we made up our minds on that walk home five years ago,” Wyman said. “Would it succeed? It was too soon to tell. But there was no question how important it was to be part of it from the beginning.”
Truthfully, Jack and Beth were already sold on Veal’s vision a few minutes into his pitch. Veal, the Executive Pastor at Northview Baptist Church in Lewisville since 1997, called it Heart of the City. He pointed to North Texas’ rising food insecurity and poverty rates and said it was important to band together and put their love for others into action. He told them that being Christians wasn’t just something they did on Sundays at church. That resonated with the Wymans, who moved from Connecticut to Highland Village 21 years ago and always saw Veal, now 63, as a leader and visionary who God called to do great things. Like him, they believed in pursuing opportunities to make the lives of others better and wanted to be more involved in their community.
Therefore, the goal was to create a people-centered social services agency that addressed community needs with food, clothing, and personal development so that these individuals and families had the support, resources, and skills to lift themselves out of poverty.
So far, it’s safe to say they are succeeding in their mission and mantra of “Compassion Lived Out.”
Heart of the City started five years ago with a budget of $57,757, no employees, and a handful of volunteers that served 70 families at one location. Five years later, it has a $3.8 million budget, 12 full and part-time employees, and over 2,000 registered volunteers serving close to 800 families weekly at five locations. The original location, which serves as a free food pantry, free clothing boutique called Grahams Totally Free Clothing, and their corporate headquarters, is still across the street from Northview Church.
They also have a full-service food pantry at 1569 W. Main Street and three mobile food pantries in Frisco, Plano, and Carrollton.
Through those well-run food pantries, they served 60,000 people in Denton County in 2023, including 1.6 million pounds of food and 1.4 million meals—culminating in a $4.4 million economic impact—that same year. By 2025, they intend to open five additional partner pantry sites.
“We hope to be serving 100 families at each of those sites—so 500 more a week on top of the 800 we are serving now,” Wyman said. He is the Vice President of Advancement and added that Texas is one of only nine states with higher food insecurity than the national average. “That’s over 1,000 families, and we believe we can achieve that. As much as we believed in this from the beginning, if you had told me five years ago that in five years, we’d be serving close to 800 families from five locations with a budget of $3.8 million, I’m not sure I would have believed that. But here we are. When I go into the pantry at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, there will be 35 to 45 volunteers to thank for their tireless hard work. Some are younger, and others are older. But they show up to serve everyone who needs help.”
Veal agreed. He grew up in Lewisville and said people he meets every day want to do more for their local communities.
“What I learned very quickly through those fundraising dinners all those years ago was that there are people who are passionate about loving, caring, and serving this community,” Veal said. “Many times, they just don’t know how—what they need is a leader, and in this instance, God led me to raise the flag and say we can do this. Volunteers came out of the woodwork, people got excited, businesses began partnering with us—as did churches, families, civic groups, schools … the whole nine yards.”
Veal said Heart of the City serves without judgment or qualifications. Each pantry is open to the public; interested families and individuals can show up during business hours and have their food brought out to their cars—free of charge. If clothing is an issue, Grahams Totally Free Clothing offers free, pre-sorted clothing for infants, children, teenagers, and adults.
Last year, Grahams served over 3,000 families and gave away 69,897 items, including 1,303 pairs of shoes and 411 winter coats.
Thrive Academy began in 2023 to allow the poor to better their condition. Through educational courses that emphasize practical skills, men and women are learning how to live lives of fulfillment and responsibility. They’re being equipped not just to survive but to thrive. Thrive Academy is a four-pillar program that offers classes and workshops in personal and professional development. The four pillars of focus are Education and Training, Career Development, Financial Management, and Personal Growth.
Heart of the City, one of three finalists for the 2024 Best of Denton County Non-Profit of the Year Award, offers classes in English as a Second Language (ESL), GED, Excel for beginners, resume writing, an introduction to web development, tax preparation, immigration attorney Q&As, eating healthy on a budget, and forklift training certifications.
These courses are designed to help prepare participants for a responsible and productive life in their community.
In Thrive Academy’s first year, students completed 3,668 class hours. In the first quarter of 2024, students had already completed 2,708 class hours. This reflects not just the need for this kind of practical help but also the desire of the poor to improve their lives.
“We are local people using local resources impacting local families and improving local communities,” Veal said. “When you donate to or serve at Heart of the City, you will do that with friends and people you know and families you know. We might be the new kids on the block in terms of nonprofits, but what we’re doing works, and we want to replicate this all over the nation.”
To learn more about Heart of the City, including ways to volunteer and donate, visit www.heartofthecitylewisville.com. Heart of the City is also hosting a fundraising reception from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 16, at Shoal Creek Tavern. This is yet another opportunity for the community to show its support and learn more ways to get involved in the mission.
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