Facility to move near Maple Ave., Inwood Road by end of February
After a painstaking two-month search, the Resource Center of Dallas has identified a new home for its HIV/AIDS food pantry.
The pantry will move to 5450 Denton Drive Cutoff, near Maple Avenue and Inwood Road, by the end of February.
RCD officials announced in November that the pantry would be forced to vacate its 20-year home at 3926A Cedar Springs Road, due to a planned renovation of the building. The property owner has agreed to extend the pantry’s lease to allow time for the move, and there will be no disruption of services.
"We were very careful to make sure we were getting the best fit for our clients, our donors and the community," said Bret Camp, an associate executive director for the Resource Center. "In order to make sure we were on top of it and did have the best fit, it took time."
RCD officials were committed to keeping the pantry in Oak Lawn, where the majority of the agency’s clients live. They also wanted to make sure the new site is accessible to public transportation.
More than 1,900 low-income people with HIV/AIDS made 26,500 visits to the grocery store-style pantry in 2007.
The new site is within walking distance of DART bus routes 29 and 39, RCD officials said. It also sits near a rail station on DART’s Green Line, which is scheduled to roll out December 2010.
"It was a challenge finding real estate in this area because of the boom," Camp said.
The Resource Center has signed a three-year lease, which means the pantry shouldn’t have to move again before the agency constructs a new facility near Cedar Springs and Inwood roads. The new facility will combine the pantry, the Nelson-Tebedo Health Resource Center and the John Thomas Gay and Lesbian Community Center.
Camp said the new location has on-site security and is handicapped accessible. The pantry will be about the same size as the old one, but the building is newer and cleaner and will have more freezer space.
The new pantry will share a strip shopping center with businesses including a dollar store, a Domino’s pizza, a thrift store, and a money transfer store.
RCD spokesman Rafael McDonnell said the agency has raised $90,000 over the last few months to pay for the move and to meet increased holiday demand for services, eclipsing its goal of $75,000. Groups also have volunteered to provide vehicles and labor for the actual move.
"It was an excellent response from the community in a really tough economic time," McDonnell said.
For more info, go to www.rcdallas.org.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition January 16, 2009.