100 degrees outside with a heat index of 104. Inside the lobby and offices at ACO, temps are rising to 85.
Today, just before noon, ACO had already received 17 new applications for rent and utility assistance. That number doesn’t include additional families seeking food assistance.
It’s something I hear all the time. The truth is, All Community Outreach does so much more than most people realize.
ACO’s Learning Academy also offers Financial Peace University, budgeting classes, credit improvement workshops, smart car buying seminars, GED tutoring and certification, mental health and wellness seminars, teen workshops on cyber safety, classes in self-defense, cancer prevention and breast health with free mammograms, job interview preparation, résumé writing assistance, and other employment services. So far in 2026, 386 individuals have participated in these life-changing educational programs. Did you know ACO did that?
A desperate parent comes to ACO, fearing they will lose their home or not have a safe, warm place for their family to sleep. Will you be the reason they become homeless?
The local food pantry is short on supplies and staples for families to receive essentials and groceries. Will you be the reason their children go hungry?
I recently was interviewed by Allen’s outgoing Mayor, The Honorable Baine Brooks, and it was video recorded for Allen ACTV and also airs on YouTube. Baine has been a long-time supporter of ACO, even prior to his years in public service, and he and I have been friends for almost two decades. I was honored to be asked to be his final interview for “Dish With The Mayor.”
When I watched it back, I realized how many times I mentioned people “living on the edge.”
If a young mother with her two-year-old came to you in the grocery store and asked for your help because her children were hungry, would you say no?
If a stranger told you that his family was soon to be evicted from his apartment because he lost his job and asked you for help with rent, would you say no?
If you were asked to give where you live to support your neighbors who are facing hunger and homelessness, would you say no?
I have heard those words countless times over the past twenty-five years during my time at ACO. Front desk volunteers, answering calls from residents in urgent need of food, housing, and other critical resources, often begin with, “I’m just a volunteer, but let me see if I can help.”
I hear it from Food Pantry volunteers, Cares Center volunteers, Resale volunteers, and those supporting special programs and projects—almost as if to soften the importance of what they do.
Let me be clear! You are not “just volunteers.”
Whenever I brought my dad a problem, we would sit and talk it through. I’d walk away grateful for his wisdom, his experience and sometimes his slightly crazy advice. But he always ended the same way when I’d thank him for his time: “No problem, Precious.” (Yes, he really called me Precious.) “Two heads are always better than one.”
But what about 17 heads?
So they say! And at ACO, that sentiment has never rung truer. Over the years, we have worked diligently to grow and expand our programs and services while operating within very real resource constraints. It’s not always easy—but meaningful work rarely is.
Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” That may well be our motto for 2026 as we continue making thoughtful facility improvements and operational changes to better serve our community.
’Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the towns,
Not a child went hungry, not a face wore a frown;
For stockings were brimming with new toys and delight,
Thanks to the ACO North Pole Elves that worked magic each night.
Today in our communities, parents are quietly skipping meals so their children can eat. Worse are the children who go to bed hungry. Seniors are sitting alone in dark homes because they can’t afford both groceries and electricity. Families are sleeping in their cars, unsure where they’ll go tomorrow. Yes, this is in Collin County. Every day.
It is hard to imagine in our affluent area that there are so many families struggling to survive. Yet, they live next door, go to school with our children, and pass us each day. These are single parents, large extended families, grandparents raising their grandchildren and lonely seniors in dire situations who have nowhere to turn to for emergency assistance, compassion and hope. And during the holidays, their struggles are even greater.
While ACO strives to meet the needs of hunger in Collin County every day, we recognize the additional impact that the government shutdown is having on many of our neighbors. ACO will support these families in need in every way possible, including access to the ACO Food Pantry and ACO Cares Center.
It has been all over the news this week with concern of our local families losing SNAP benefits beginning November 1. If COVID brought us any silver lining, it was preparation for widespread impact, how ACO can step in and manage an influx in need, and how we can count on our community to help and support each other. Thank you for your calls and emails asking how you can help! And thank you for your donations and financial gifts.
Invitations have been out for weeks, plans have been months in the making, and tonight is the night for ACO’s Big Birthday Bash! It will be THE party of the year, and I’m hoping that you’ve all purchased your tickets and will be there. (If not, there’s still time if you hurry- read below.)
We’ll be decked out in our 1980’s garb (yes, I was one of the blue eyeshadow wearing, big hair teens of the 80’s) and we will be dancing to all our favorite tunes from our proms and that we played on our car stereos. The food and drink will be fabulous, there will be fun silent auction items for bids, and a big dance-off for those willing to show off their moves.
Homelessness. It’s a word in our mission statement: “Preventing Hunger and Homelessness…” It’s also a reality we see on the news and on our streets. But the real question is—what are we doing about it?
On a recent trip to Portland, Oregon, I was struck by the overwhelming number of people living under bridges and downtown. I watched a driver ahead of me hand cold bottles of water to homeless individuals at a highway on-ramp—an act of kindness on a hot day. But while compassionate, it didn’t solve the deeper issue.
Some of you may have already heard this story, but I wanted to share one of my most embarrassing moments with you. I donated my mother-in-law to ACO! Let me explain.
I married a wonderful man ten years ago. Five years into our marriage, we finally moved into a larger home. Like any big move, we began the huge task of packing—and of course, sorting what to keep and what to donate. In the midst of that chaos, one item I didn’t recognize—a decorative piece that looked like a Greek column garden ornament—was placed in the “donate” pile.
We’ve all felt that tug at our hearts — maybe it’s a commercial showing a shivering dog in the snow or a child’s tearful plea. For me, it’s those sad puppy eyes that make me want to donate on the spot. For my husband, it’s anything related to veterans. We all have our causes, the ones that move us to give.
In fact, 69% of Americans donate to charity, according to NonprofitSource.com. Even more — 84% — say they prioritize giving to local organizations. While national nonprofits do important work, it’s local agencies like ACO that are on the frontlines, helping neighbors in need and creating real change right here at home.
…In a land not so far away, leaders in Allen recognized a need in the community and had the foresight to provide services for neighbors facing crisis situations. Gary Rodenbaugh recalls a group of community-minded individuals gathered around a kitchen table, discussing the lack of resources in their growing community.
These services included essential items such as clothing. From those conversations, Allen Community Outreach (ACO) was born. A nonprofit organization was formed, complete with a Board of Directors. Bob Williams served as ACO’s first President —40 years ago.
As I sit down this morning to write this message, one thing keeps crossing my mind—I’m hungry! I can’t quite remember if I skipped breakfast (a habit I’m trying to break), but I think I grabbed a protein shake on the way out the door. Either way, my hunger makes me start thinking about tonight’s dinner plans too. Should I cook tonight, or are we eating out? Can you relate to wandering thoughts of food like I do?
Answering a call at the front desk from someone facing homelessness and guiding them through the process of applying for assistance.
Assisting an appreciative grandmother as she loads her car with groceries from the ACO Food Pantry.
Sorting donated clothing and household items to ensure the ACO Cares Center is stocked with essentials for families in need.
What comes to mind when you think of All Community Outreach? To many, their first thought is that we are a food pantry. And we are! We are one of the largest in Collin County. Last year, more than 1.4 MILLION pounds of food were distributed to local families facing hunger.
But ACO is more than a food pantry. You probably also think of ACO as an agency to provide financial assistance to those families facing homelessness. And we are! ACO receives an average of 20 applications each day from Collin County residents requesting help with their rent and utility bills.
If you followed ACO’s progress last year, then you know we had quite a year of expansion! We weren’t one of those agencies who had big bucks to match our big dreams (oh yes, we did have the dreams!) of building a big beautiful new facility to serve Collin County families. We could have spent a few years in the midst of a capital campaign to raise funds to do so. However, is that the best use of funding? How many families could we help versus the cost of a new building?
Happy New Year! I hope that your year is off to a great start and that 2025 is a very happy and healthy year for you and your family.
Our staff and our Board of Directors will be looking ahead to the new year and how we can continue to grow and improve upon programs and services to change more lives in 2025. We’re a bit different than other local agencies in how we serve the community.
I am writing this early, and during our busiest week of the entire year. This is my monthly message to our community-to our donors, our volunteers and our ACO family. Usually, I would wrap up the month with what’s critical to ACO at the time, or as in this case as it is the end of year email to you.
But so much is on my mind as we begin this week before Christmas. This IS the busiest week all year long for All Community Outreach. It is also the worst week AND the best week. Let me explain…
Last month I told you about Sandra and her kids. Your many emails and inquiries about how you could help her this holiday season was so appreciated and heartwarming. Thank you!
I could tell you about Kevin, a single dad facing eviction, or Sasha, another mom working two jobs and still unable to pay her rent this month. There’s the elderly woman just a few blocks over from the ACO office whose children and grandchildren had to move in with her because they lost their home and now, she’s trying to feed and support them all on her fixed income. We paid her utility bill this month to keep them warm. She depends on the ACO Pantry and Cares Center to feed those babies!
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.
Today I got a hug that I didn’t even know that I needed. As I sat in my office pouring over reports and preparing for our upcoming Board of Directors meeting, one of our case directors came into my office in tears and asked for a hug. I was expecting the worst and said, “Oh my gosh- WHAT’S WRONG?!” She said, “No, nothing, this hug is for you.”
She had just come from Walmart where she purchased an air mattress for a grandmother that had come into ACO for assistance. This elderly woman was giving her bed to her grandchildren that she was attempting to raise, house, clothe and feed while also caring for her daughter on palliative care and living on a ventilator. This grandmother was painfully sleeping on the floor every night.
Author and leadership expert Simon Sinek said, “Greatness happens when the person with the wild imagination collaborates with the person who knows how to get things done.”
In 2024 thus far, ACO staff have certainly demonstrated that those words are true. So many positive changes are happening at lightning speed to get things done in all our locations.
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.
Our new resale store is open and filled with wonderful home decor, clothing, books, and treasures. Thanks to our community for providing household donations, we continue to grow our customer base, which in turn generates funds for ACO’s programs and services.
With the grand opening of ALL COMMUNITY OUTREACH RESALE behind us, many are asking “what now?” Well, I am so glad that you asked. We have more exciting news as we continue with phase 2 of expansion plans.