The Children's Hunger Fund (CHF) acquired land in the town of Prosper to serve as the home for their new 86,000-square-foot facility. The international nonprofit dedicated to serving impoverished children worldwide, will use the new space to house CHF's ministry and volunteer operations in the North Texas region, including an immersive Poverty Encounter educational experience.
"We are very excited to announce this incomparable opportunity to serve folks in need across North Texas from this new facility in Prosper," said CHF Founder and President Dave Phillips. "After nearly a decade in Dallas and Frisco, we have watched this ministry flourish in North Texas, and this new acquisition of land represents a major step forward. We looked at dozens of options and had extensive discussions on several properties, but we believe this new home in the Town of Prosper is both an opened door and an answered prayer for the next chapter of our work in Texas."
The new facility is being designed by O'Brien Architects in Dallas, and a general contractor for the project should be announced in the next 30 days. Groundbreaking and construction should begin in late 2024. CHF hopes to have the new facility complete and ready for move-in by early 2026. Along with a volunteer center, the immersive encounter experience and distribution space, the facility will house space for nearly 40 staff.
Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Los Angeles, Children's Hunger Fund works in 32 countries throughout the world, partnering with local individuals, families, churches and like-minded organizations to deliver food and resources to children and families. CHF uses its volunteer force to prepare and distribute its core product, a Food Pak. Food Paks are the size of a shoebox and filled with non-perishable items that are distributed to every member of a household visited by CHF volunteers. In the 2022-23 fiscal year, CHF distributed more than 120,000 Food Paks domestically, plus another nearly 200,000 internationally.
The inclusion of the immersive, award-winning Poverty Encounter experience will be a highly visited part of the property. Currently, the only Poverty Encounter experience is at the Los Angeles headquarters and was designed with the help of Hollywood set design professionals and launched in 2018. During a nearly two-hour educational experience, groups get an immersive, up-close look at extreme poverty in several different countries and learn how CHF helps children. Tours conclude with a service activity in CHF's Volunteer Center.
"Our Poverty Encounter at our Los Angeles location has been an invaluable tool in providing education and action regarding extreme poverty," Phillips said. "From public school students to church groups to corporate visitors and the general public, countless residents and guests in North Texas will benefit from this one-of-a-kind experience."
While significant financial commitments to the new facility have been made, CHF acknowledges that there is still work to be done. The expected cost of the project is $35 million, with $20 million still needing to be raised through an ongoing capital campaign.
Don't miss anything Local. Sign up for our free newsletter.
