Among the crates and pallets in the GRACE Food Pantry Warehouse is a small plaque dedicating the space to Rusty Thigpen.
For nearly 20 years Rusty ran the Food Pantry and guided its growth from a ragtag collection of cans and boxes to the hugely beneficial Hunger Services program it anchors today.
The Savior called for Rusty on June 14, and he met Jesus in his home surrounded by family and friends.
We are gathering from 4-6 p.m. on Monday, July 29, here at 837 East Walnut Street in Grapevine to celebrate Rusty’s life and his calling to feed the hungry. His daughter, Tami, will join us in remembering her father and his unique way with others.
For those who visited the Food Pantry more than 110,000 times over his tenure, Rusty was the kind gentleman who helped feed their families, gave them diapers and formula for their babies, provided hygiene and cleaning supplies for their homes, and even fed their pets.
Rusty was part shyness, part humility, and, of course, part curmudgeon, and he was loved for all these parts of his personality that combined formed a man who was loved by many.
GRACE Chief Program Officer Stacy Pacholick said it best, “He connected with so many people who respected and loved him.”
The number of co-workers, volunteers, local grocers, discount store managers, and other suppliers who called Rusty their friend is massive. For many at the Tarrant Area Food Bank, church pantries, soup kitchens, and other social service agencies, Rusty was the face of GRACE.
Rusty’s integrity earned him the loyalty of his volunteers, many of whom worked alongside him for most of his time at GRACE. To this day, Pantry volunteers are some of the longest serving among all GRACE volunteers.
Rusty was a staunch hunger fighter, and some of the programs that evolved under his watch became hallmark feeding programs for GRACE, and models for other social service agencies to replicate.
Rebecca Cox, GRACE Chief Executive Officer, recalled it was because of Rusty the Food Pantry can now boast of being one of very few “Self Select” pantries in the region. “I never had the privilege of meeting Rusty, but I can see him clearly throughout our programs every day. “When Rusty started we were just like other food banks,” said Rebecca. “Clients would come and get their boxes full of groceries. The same groceries for everyone.”
Rusty changed all that by creating a pantry modeled after a grocery store. “Our clients can now select the foods they like. Foods they knew how to fix. Foods their families like, and this is Rusty’s legacy,” said Rebecca.
Not only were the taste and cultural preferences of GRACE clients served, but dietary restrictions and limitations were also recognized. Rusty’s pantry also offered infant products, hygiene and cleaning supplies, pet food, and other items.
Rusty’s new program used a voucher system so clients could “shop”. For many clients, shopping at the GRACE Food Pantry taught or reinforced the life skills of menu-planning and budgeting.
“As our clients moved from GRACE to lives of self-sufficiency, these were the skills they took with them to Walmart, Kroger or Tom Thumb,” said Rebecca. “Over the last twenty years, we are now talking about generational self-sufficiency. And they all have Rusty to thank.”
Rusty retired in 2020 but as his health would allow, he still visited GRACE frequently and kept in contact with many of his co-workers, volunteers, and donors.
“We all loved and admired him so much,” said Stacy. “His celebration of life will be our chance to honor his memory and express just how much he meant to us, and to those who worked with him over the years.”
