A MESSAGE FROM
ROSS MESQUITA, ACO BOARD PRESIDENT

The summer months bring time off for some, vacations for others, and lots of heat for us all! Even so, the needs of our clients at ACO don’t ever slow down or take a break.

By now you have likely received a postcard from ACO reminding you of our summertime campaign – Give Where You Live. Your financial gift, regardless of amount, makes a difference and changes lives!

1. $100 Provides kid-friendly foods for a child’s breakfast and lunch all summer long.
2. $300 Keep the electricity on for a family facing a cut-off notice
3. $500 Help a family stay in their home with rental assistance.

Please take a moment today and donate to ACO so that we can continue support our neighbors in need across Collin County.

As important as financial contributions are volunteers, so please consider volunteering. We have many opportunities for volunteers to aid in our mission of preventing hunger and homelessness. ACO’s new Volunteer Coordinator, Colleen Johnson can help you get connected. Email her at cjohnson@acocares.org.

I’ve been on the ACO Board for over three years, and I continue to be amazed at the stories I hear about our clients helping each other. Recently, a single mom waiting patiently in the long line for food finally reached the front of the line and noticed the staff was very short-handed of volunteers. Rather than take her food and go on with her day, she insisted to get out of her car and help distribute food with our volunteers to the other families. The staff realized she was not going to take a no for an answer and told her they would fill her car with groceries once she was done helping others. She parked her car and starting loading groceries into cars until the line came to an end. She thanked ACO staff and volunteers for all they do and how much she appreciates them providing food for her children during these times.

ACO has been helping families in our community since 1985 and we have grown over the years in the areas we serve across Collin County and with the programs and services we offer to match the needs of our community. None of this would be possible without your support – please help us to change lives of families in Collin County and GIVE WHERE YOU LIVE – don’t wait, please give today to ACO.

ROSS MESQUITA, ACO BOARD PRESIDENT

A MESSAGE FROM
MARJORIE VANESKAHIAN BURR, ACO CEO

He’s Too Nice About It

He’s too nice about it. You’ve just read a special message from our Board President, asking you to support ACO’s mission with your financial gifts and your volunteer time. Ross is so nice in his ask, and represents the organization and our Board of Directors in a supportive and positive light.

As CEO, I’m in the trenches and see the worst struggles our neighbors face. It’s heartbreaking. Many Collin County families really struggle during the hot summer months of July and August when they don’t have the funds to pay the utility bills. They are hot without air conditioning, they may even have their water turned off for non-payment. Even worse is that they may be facing eviction and have nowhere to go. They are desperate. It’s too hot to even sleep in their car!

These families come to ACO for help. And we want to help! We do all that we can to help! But we are limited in funds to assist with housing. We are dependent on grants and financial donations from the community. During the summer months the need is high and our donations are low.

It is so hard to tell a single mom that we can’t help her pay her rent, or keep her electricity on while she’s sitting there with her two toddlers. It’s heartbreaking to sit across the desk and explain to that mom or dad that we just are short on funds and can’t help keep them in their home.

It’s hard to take the hundreds of calls we receive each month from families across Collin County, and explain to as many as fifty families each month that we can’t help them financially because donations are down. We hear their stories and the sadness and desperation in their voices, but sometimes we just can’t help other than to refer them to other agencies who often are in the same position that we are.

And, all that we need is money to save these families from homelessness. It sounds like an easy fix, and if we just ask nicely donations will follow. We tell the stories of the great needs in our community. We write grants, we have fundraisers, we post our needs on social media, we send our mailers asking the community to give, and while we have a responsive and supportive donor base, we need more to meet the need!

Response has been slow to our summertime campaign and donations are down. To date, we have received almost $50,000. While that is awesome and we are so grateful to those who have given, our goal is $200,000 by the end of the summer.

We need your help. We need your donations now, today! If everyone gave just a little, think of the impact we can make! What if this was you? Where would you go? What would you do without a safety net or an agency like ACO to reach out to for help? We can’t turn these neighbors away!

Programs and services such as the ACO Food Pantry, the ACO Cares Center, the ACO Learning Academy and Employment Center all provide vital help to families and provide a path to stability. While these programs help to save on expenses and increase income over time, they are often not able to meet the immediate need.

The most basic need of housing for struggling families is where we need your help now. This service simply takes money. I am asking you to please give where you live today. Click the link below to donate online, mail a check to 801 E. Main Street, or call me and I’ll personally pick up your donation, 972-727-9131. I promise I’ll be nice when I come by!

One more thing…

Speaking of money, let me share with you how your donations make an impact as a whole. The first half of 2023, we have helped 6760 Collin County families with assistance, which includes $211K in rent and utility payments. We’ve given an additional $57K in clothing and essential household products to families in need through the ACO Cares Center. The ACO Food Pantry has distributed $1.3MM in groceries. And, we are currently collecting new school supplies for 897 local students, which will be over $85K in value. This is why your financial gifts are vital! We can’t do this without you. Please, give where you live.

MARJORIE VANESKAHIAN BURR, ACO CEO