A MESSAGE FROM
MARJORIE VANESKAHIAN BURR, ACO CEO
The Gut Punch…
Have you ever come home from a long day only to find that your refrigerator has stopped working and all of the groceries you purchased for the week were spoiled? There was a liquid mess on the floor and a rotting smell permeating your kitchen?
You felt that gut punch when you realized that not only did you have a huge mess to clean up, but now you have no fresh foods for your family this week. The final punch came when you got the repair bill. Can you relate?
This was our gut punch last week at ACO when our walk-in freezer and refrigerator quit working. How were we going to feed all the families in line for food?
The ACO Food Pantry is dependent on our units to keep dairy and produce items fresh and meats frozen. Because we are feeding 500+ families each week with 7-10 days stock of groceries, when we go down it’s catastrophic.
While we do our best to maintain all of our equipment and facilities, the fact is that pantry is now 12 years old, as is our aging system. And the cost for the repairs plus loss is estimated at more than $20,000.
Imagine the impact if 500 of our neighbors lost their complete supply of food for the week to feed their families. That’s the impact that we faced. And, an unexpected expense in the thousands of dollars is hard to recover.
However, let me assure you that in spite of this incident, no families went without food last week. Our amazing staff and volunteers were quick to save what they could, and replenish with reserve canned items and doubled up on the perishable collections from our local donor grocers. And, thanks to quick, local repair service we were back up and running but at a cost.
To add to the gut punch, donations are down. Way down. Our annual summertime campaign is $55,000 short of our goal. We are headed into the holiday season, when families need our help more than ever. I must ask for your help.
We must continue to provide food for these families. They have faced a summer full of their own gut punches in the form of high utility bills and increased rent.
Please consider giving to All Community Outreach on the upcoming NORTH TEXAS GIVING DAY on September 22. You can donate already on their website (see below) or directly online to acocares.org. Every donation at this time counts. Every amount can make a difference.
If your refrigerator is currently working properly, and it is filled with food, please make a financial gift to help ACO and others. If your children are fed and healthy, please donate to help those who are struggling. On behalf of the parents of thousands of hungry local kids, I thank you in advance for your support.
One more thing…
I’ve said for years, that ACO can extend a hand to ask the community for help, and our community gives back. Collin County is an amazing, generous community to work and live, and raise a family. But everyone faces hardships at times, everyone feels that gut punch. That’s why ACO has been helping families for more than 35 years.
The national average cost of a pound of food is $1.74, according to the North Texas Food Bank. And every meal equals 1.2lbs. Rough math to feed a person for a week costs a food pantry $25. Feeding their family of four for a week is $100.
This September 22nd, will you consider providing meals for just one week to a neighbor, or a family in Collin County by donating $25-$100 or more for North Texas Giving Day? I promise, I will join you in making my personal donations that day.
(If you wish to make an ongoing monthly donation to feed our neighbors, ACO has an option online for a monthly recurring amount. Just visit our website directly at acocares.org.)
Sincerely,
MARJORIE VANESKAHIAN BURR, ACO CEO