Founded in 1991 and headquartered is 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 suffering children and families and foster faith relationships with every person involved in the organization. CHF deploys a robust 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.

Rex Real Estate and Matthew Kiran were instrumental in identifying and securing the property in the Town of Prosper. 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.

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. Over the course of a nearly two-hour educational experience, groups of various sizes get an immersive, up-close look at extreme poverty in several different countries, and learn how CHF helps suffering 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. With the support of generous donors and community partners, CHF is confident in its ability to reach this goal and bring its vision to fruition.