|
This email, “ACO ENEWS” goes out monthly to more than 10K donors, volunteers and ACO friends in our community. Over the years it has proven to be an invaluable communication tool. Please know how much I appreciate your time to read my messages.
When I ask you for donations, I am amazed at your response. I don’t ask lightly. When ACO puts out a call for community support it is because we need you.
Several years ago, it was about this time of year and the ACO Food Pantry was low on kids' foods for our summer program. We asked for Spaghettios. Within 24 hours, donors stepped up. One great supporter, with his civic group, (you know who you are, but I won’t call you out as the Spaghettio King!) backed his SUV up to the pantry and opened the hatch. It was completely filled with cases of Spaghettios. Amazing!
Another summer we were short on mac n cheese. I asked for your help. Within a few short days, Geoben, our food pantry manager, came to my office looking overwhelmed. He said “Make it stop!” I laughed, and knew exactly what he was talking about. We were overflowing with boxes of mac n cheese. Again, amazing!
New backpacks are always a struggle to get donated at this time of year as the school supplies drive (Fill The Bus) is in high gear. We seem to never have enough for the hundreds of students needing new supplies to start the school year. I remember the day just after making the ask for help with backpacks, that car after car came by to drop off new backpacks. One business came by with many backpacks that they had purchased right away! (This year was no exception, we were in need of extra backpacks and we were so blessed with your support to provide.)
I have so many examples like this, such as your help financially replacing our roof when it literally caved in and filled the building with water and debris. One Christmas I called Mayor Baine Brooks and asked him to share the need with his customers that ACO was low on toy donations. Since that time, every year his restaurant has held a toy drive and collected thousands of new toys for ACO’s North Pole. When the ACO parking lot froze, covered in a thick layer of ice so no one could get to our building, we asked for volunteers with shovels to come help us chip it away. I wanted to cry when I saw the group of young men out clearing the drive so that families could get to the food pantry after the winter storm.
2020 was probably the most amazing time of all. Our world was struggling with the pandemic, and ACO had 4X as many families asking for financial assistance. Month after month, those that could gave what they were able, whether it was food, household essentials or cash. I saw the very best of Collin County come together to help each other.
When I ask, you step up. You take care of your community. You don’t think to yourself that someone else will do it, so you don’t have to. You donate. You respond.
Most of all, when I ask for your support you continue to give financially. We are mid-way through our summer campaign, GIVE WHERE YOU LIVE. Honestly, we are way behind in reaching our goal. Donations have been slow. People are on vacations and have busy summer schedules and tend to forget the need is greatest during the hot summer months with high bills and when the kids are home needing more food.
Again, I ask for your help. Remember to support your community locally. Any amount of donation matters. Don’t think that everyone else is donating so you don’t need to. Families need you and will be so appreciative of your support. And I, of course, am the most appreciative of all just knowing that you take the time to listen and respond. You're amazing!
One more thing... "Amazing" is my word of the day, but I don’t have a better word for the community response we have had during our first full month of opening the new ACO RESALE and DONATION CENTER. It’s been awesome to see our regular customers return, and our new customer rate has reached an all-time high. So has the number of cars making drop-off donations of household goods. THANK YOU!
The new store combines our traditional resale clothing, household items and books, with the decor pieces that we used to sell in our separate boutique store. Still the low prices on clothing, books and everyday items as we’ve had before, we didn’t raise prices when we moved. Now you can also shop for higher end decor in the same store, at much lower prices than retail.
If you haven’t been in, hurry! Items change daily on the sales floor and we have twice as many registers now to serve you. Pull up to the donation area and a friendly volunteer or staff member will help to unload your car of household donations. It’s quick and easy.
When you donate your household items, or shop in our store you are supporting local families in need. Your donated goods go to our ACO Cares Center for families to pick out exactly what they need at no cost, and the rest is available for the public to purchase. As you know, your purchases benefit those families by helping to pay their rent or utilities, provide groceries, and fund programs to help our community be strong and financially stable. AMAZING!
Follow the ACO RESALE SHOP on social media and see daily some of the items featured in the store. When you drop off your donations, your tax-deductible receipt is also your 20% off coupon to use in the store.
| 
