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I am writing to you today to share a story that weighs heavily on my heart and for an urgent need for your help.
I am asking for your immediate assistance to feed our neighbors facing hunger. It’s a critical time at All Community Outreach (ACO) and in Collin County as the holidays approach.
My story is about Sandra. She’s a single mom and works tirelessly at two jobs to provide for her two young children, Tyler and Ella. Despite her efforts, she counts on groceries from the ACO Food Pantry to put food on the table. Before she came to ACO, she was skipping meals to ensure that her kids could eat. With tears in her eyes and great pain on her face, she said that many nights their pantry was completely empty, and Tyler and Ella went to bed hungry. They went to bed hungry!
This makes my heart hurt, and I know it does yours as well. Children in Collin County should not be hungry. Families should not go without food, the most basic need. It’s hard to fathom that in our area, families like Sandra’s are struggling daily.
You may be unaware of the hundreds who turn to ACO for not just food, but also essential items like toothpaste, shampoo and laundry detergent- and even pet food. They, like Sandra, depend on ACO for that extra support just to get by.
For years I’ve seen first-hand just how many hungry people live here in Collin County- in our neighborhoods. I’ve watched them in long lines in their cars waiting for food or to come into our pantry to shop for what they need to feed their families. And I’ve seen their tears of appreciation and the relief on their faces as they carried out their groceries.
I think about Sandra and the kids often. And the many families like them who are facing true hunger. I am grateful that we have a generous community of support so that Tyler and Ella and hundreds of other children can have the basics such as food and shelter every day. ACO’s mission since 1985 has been to prevent hunger and homelessness while providing a path to financial stability. We have programs to help clients like Sandra find better paying jobs and gain security and independence. ACO’s skilled case directors hold our clients’ hands through their struggles to change their lives with our programs and services. But it starts with food.
The ACO Food Choice Pantry is the largest in the county and is a vital resource for these families, providing them with not just food, but hope and dignity during their hardest times. However, the demand continues to grow, and so does the cost of food. These families need our help NOW.
Together, with your help we can make sure that no family in our community goes hungry this holiday season and year-round. With your gift, we can keep the ACO Food Pantry stocked and open to serve those in need. But it’s urgent, we need you today. No parent should have to face their child and tell them that they can’t eat tonight.
Thank you for your choice to GIVE WHERE YOU LIVE and for your generosity to hold hands with ACO, as our logo represents.
If you would like to know more about ACO, our programs and services, household donations, and volunteer opportunities, please visit our website at ACOcares.org. We also offer a secure online donation option on our website or with a click on the QR code. From the ACO Staff, Board of Directors and Volunteers, we hope that you and your family have a very happy holiday! And from the many families who’s lives are forever changed because of YOU, we thank you!
ONE MORE THING....It is with a very heavy heart that I share with you the passing of someone very special to ACO. Diane Schoch, long time volunteer and donor (our major donor for the Diane and John Schoch Donation Center and the Diane Schoch Book Nook at the ACO Resale Store) passed earlier this week.
I can't begin to tell you how lovely and thoughtful, kind and caring this lady was to all that she met. She quietly and generously gave to many whom she felt she could help better their lives.
I met Diane almost 20 years ago when she retired as a school librarian and moved to Heritage Ranch in Fairview with her husband. They quickly became volunteers with ACO. Diane's passion was helping children and she was very involved with ACO's Fill The Bus Program to provide school supplies for students in need. She also had a heart for hunger and was always quick to call me and offer funds anytime she saw an ask to the community for support to stock the pantry.
Diane recognized that our mission is dependent on financial gifts first and foremost. She knew that without operating funds to support programs that it would not be possible to provide help to families in crisis. She changed many lives with her gifts. It was her desire to ensure that ACO would always be a guiding hand and a comforting place for local families to find assistance. ACO has added a link on our donation page to honor Diane with a gift if you'd so choose. She will be remembered by many for her giving heart and will be dearly missed.
Another very important person to ACO also passed last week. Mr. Donald Kiser, of the Kiser-Covington ACO Learning Center and a prominent member of the Kiser-Covington families will be fondly missed. These families have a great passion for education and chose to support ACO's programs, knowing that education is a vital part of creating a path to financial stability. Mr. Kiser's family has also asked for donations in his memory be made to ACO.
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