Serving The Collin County Community One Meal At A Time

by Tara Roberts, CCMGA Master Gardener

An idea born a decade ago has blossomed into a thriving garden and a busy kitchen serving nutritious meals to a community in need. Community Garden Kitchen, located in McKinney, serves more than 600 meals weekly in a restaurant setting to help combat food insecurity in Collin County. 

CGK has been a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization since 2016 and operates under the direction of Angela Poen, President of CGK. Poen has been with CGK since its inception. She was part of a group of local women who saw a need in their community and decided to take action. 

"In 2014 a group of women were meeting at my house for our monthly Bible study," Poen said. "The discussion centered around hunger in the community and how the community was responding to the need. Upon discovering, after extensive research, that there was no place in the county that served freshly prepared meals to individuals in crisis situations, the group decided to build a facility to address the need."

According to their mission statement, CGK's goal is to serve nutritious meals in a safe and welcoming place to people in their community. Their vision is to be a center of hope and compassion, ensuring that no one in the community suffers the fear and distress of food insecurity.

After breaking ground in 2019, the CGK dining room opened in 2022 and seats 118 guests. The volunteer staff can accommodate up to 200 guests nightly. On average, they serve 160 meals per night to guests ranging from infants to senior citizens. The menu changes daily and includes fresh vegetables, fruit and herbs grown on-site in their gardens. One thing diners will never see at CGK is a bill. Guests are served a hot, delicious meal prepared by Chef Jenny Brightman and her team of volunteers at no charge, with zero questions asked.

"It is an amazing experience to be able to serve people struggling with food insecurity and work with such wonderful volunteers who are so compassionate and caring," Poen remarks. "Knowing we are providing a much-needed service and helping our fellow neighbors when they are in a time of crisis is personally fulfilling."

The CGK gardens include 24 raised beds, in-ground beds and a container herb garden. The Globe Life Kitchen Garden began three years ago and is maintained fully by volunteers. The gardens netted more than 1,100 pounds of produce in 2023. The harvest includes vegetables, herbs and fruits grown to augment the food inventory used in the CGK kitchen.

Collin County Master Gardeners partnered with CGK to assist with training garden volunteers and planting in their on-campus gardens. Training included integrated pest management (IPM) to help control pests in the garden and increase production.

"The Collin County Master Gardeners Association has been an excellent partner helping CGK volunteers learn about the pleasure of gardening," Poen said. "They honored CGK in 2023 by selecting us as their charity for the year. We are immensely grateful for their contribution to making this garden a place of beauty and production."

CGK operates with two full-time employees: Chef Jenny Brightman and Director of Operations Karen Wilson. All other roles, including operational needs and management, are fulfilled by a team of trusted volunteers. Keeping the restaurant running each week requires approximately 180 volunteers. CGK also has a team of volunteers who work off-campus each week, handling fundraising, communications, financials and presentations.

Volunteers are the heart of the organization and the need is great to enable CGK to continue serving the community. Volunteer opportunities are posted on their website and include a variety of needs, including gardening, food prep, restaurant servers, fundraising, graphic design, social media, cleaning crew and a number of other needs. There is something for everyone who wants to volunteer. A background check is required, and there are minimum age requirements. Visit Volunteer – Community Garden Kitchen of Collin County for more information about individual or group volunteer opportunities at CGK.

According to Poen, in addition to providing weeknight meals from their dining room, CGK supports other local organizations addressing food insecurity, including Community Pantry, Life Path, Allen Ministerial Alliance, Renovacion Iglesia Del Nazareno, and the Little Free Pantry. 

"Each day as food donations arrive, items that will not be used at CGK are set aside for each of these organizations to receive and distribute at their locations to people in need," Poen said. "Since June 2022, CGK has distributed 54 tons of food products to partners."

Annual fundraising for CGK includes their "Going All in to End Hunger" Casino Night on May 4 at the Accasia Event Center in Fairview. Tickets are $125 and include dinner, a drink ticket, entertainment and the chance to win raffle baskets. To purchase a ticket: https://bit.ly/3u7SH1r

CGK will have its 9th Annual Kitchen Classic Golf tournament at Heritage Golf and Country Club in October. Details will be on their website in the coming months.

CGK also accepts donations to help with day-to-day operations and financial needs. "We are always grateful to accept monetary donations and goods and equipment," says Poen. To donate, please visit www.communitygardenkitchen.org and click the 'donate' button. Donation checks can also be mailed directly to CGK. For other donation information, please send an email to: directors@communitygardenkitchen.org

Community Garden Kitchen of Collin County is located at 501 Howard Street, McKinney, TX 75069. Dining room hours of operation are Monday through Thursday, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.