Welcome to August
& The Spirit of Caring Campaign
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Are you worried about your neighbors in need and wondering how to help? We'd like to introduce you to our latest giving campaign! T
he Spirit of Caring campaign was launched with the help of Southwestern University and the Spirit Golf Association. We hope this generous gift of $100,000 from Southwestern University and the Cullen Trust for Higher Education will inspire giving in our community.
Help us reach our $150,000 goal for neighbors in need by donating at
caringplacetx.org/spiritofcaring
. This important campaign is taking the place of The Caring Place's traditional fall fundraising events.
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Why donate during the Spirit of Caring?
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Learning More About
The Caring Place
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Whenever we start a major campaign, we like to give you as many opportunities as possible to learn more about The Caring Place. During the months of August and September we will do that on Facebook Live! Find Jill and Rita on Facebook on August 7th, 14th, 21st and September 4th at 9:00 a.m. You can learn about what's new at The Caring Place, how we are helping those most in need during the pandemic and how you can help, too! These short chats are the place to go for getting your questions answered. Jill and Rita hope to see you there as they kickstart
Spirit of Caring!
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Shopping for Good is Here!
The Shops at The Caring Place at 2000 Railroad Avenue and Second Helping at 3700 Williams Drive are Open!
Hours:
Monday - Friday, 12:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Additional Things to Know:
- Public restrooms and dressing rooms are not available at this time.
- Customers and Staff are required to wear masks.
- Hand sanitizer is available and encouraged upon entry.
- Practice social distancing and stay 6 feet apart.
- Children 12 and under must stay with an adult at all times.
- Second Helping at 3700 Williams Drive is open by appointment only. Make appointments at www.caringplacetx.org/shop.
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Why is Second Helping By Appointment Only?
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If you’ve been to Second Helping, you know this store is located in a 2-story home at 3700 Williams Drive. Its quaint feel makes social distancing difficult when the store is full, so we are thankful that making online appointments will allow us to open this location in a safer way. The new system will ensure that customers have a spacious and comfortable shopping experience. In fact, we think customers will love the cozy, almost private, feel of their shopping trips. Need art, decor, furniture, books, dishes and some unique finds? This is your store!
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What about Shopping Events in 2020?
Shopping at both The Shops at The Caring Place and Second Helping will take on a new look in the next several months. Will we still have amazing seasonal finds to celebrate fall and winter holidays? Absolutely! In fact, we are already planning our next Jewelry Show, Fall Y'all and other holiday events! Please stay tuned on
Facebook
for the latest information regarding shopping events, special precautions and how to make shopping appointments to attend your favorite shopping traditions at The Caring Place thrift stores. You will also find more details in the next newsletter.
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Let's Start with Fall Y'all!
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Shopping events can't be beat at The Caring Place. Why? Because you are shopping for good! Join us for a display of 'all things fall' at Second Helping located at 3700 Williams Drive on September 1st, 2nd and 3rd. This fall reveal will have all the decor, vintage, quilts, linens, art, gifts and more to get you in the mood for a beautiful autumn season! This year we are introducing Shopping by Appointment at this location! Yes, one of your favorite seasonal events will adhere to social distancing making for a no-stress shopping trip!
Appointments are available 14 days in advance of the event!
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What you Need to Know About Our Services to Those in Need...
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Our format and hours have been modified due to COVID-19. We will scale up as resources and safety allow. Here are the details the community needs to know before arriving at The Caring Place for services or food:
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Programs & Services via Telephone:
- Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- Services: Financial Assistance includes help with rent, mortgage, utilities, transportation, emergency dental and prescription assistance is available. All financial assistance will be handled remotely. Non-financial assistance (i.e. clothing, appliances, housewares, etc.) is not available at this time. Please call 512-943-0709 and leave a message regarding your need and someone will contact you within 48 business hours with the next steps. Please do not arrive at The Caring Place office unless instructed by staff. Programs & Services staff will direct you via phone or email if you need to print documents to return at our office at 2001 Railroad Avenue.
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Food Programs:
Fresh Food for Families and the Drive Through Food Pantry are open to all neighbors in need or impacted by COVID-19. The Caring Place practices social distancing, and you will not need to exit your vehicle during food distribution. You do not need to bring anything to receive food. You will answer a few simple questions from your car. Have questions about Food Programs? Please call our main line at 512-943-0700.
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Drive Through Food Pantry
On
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays
from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. join us in the 2000 Railroad drive through to receive shelf stable food items and occasional fresh items.
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Fresh Food for Families
On the
1st, 3rd and 5th Monday
of the month The Caring Place offers "Fresh Food for Families" in the 2000 Railroad Drive through. The fast-paced event runs 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. The next events are August 3rd, 17th and 31st.
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Food Programs in the Bartlett Area:
- August 12th (2nd Wednesday of the month) 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church at 645 West Clark St. in Bartlett.
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How Can You Donate Items?
The Caring Place Donations department is open on scheduled days to accept donations from the public in a new format.
You will find those dates as they are made available at
www.caringplacetx.org/covid19
.
- The next scheduled Donation Days are August 10th and August 24th from 10:00 a.m. to Noon.
In an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, The Caring Place is still operating without most of its volunteers and utilizing various safety precautions. For this reason, here are the details the community needs to know when coming to The Caring Place to make item donations:
DROP-OFF PROCEDURES:
ITEM LIMITATIONS:
At this time, The Caring Place is temporarily reducing the types of items it can take because of the time, labor and space needed to properly process them. This list will be updated as needed and can be found at
www.caringplacetx.org/covid19
.
This is the list of items currently accepted:
- Adult/Children's Clothing
- Shoes & Accessories
- Books
- Toys (no games, puzzles, large toys or plush toys)
- Sheets, Towels
- Cookware, Pots & Pans
- Dishes & Utensils
- Antiques & Collectibles
- Housewares & Interior Decor (no lamps, wall art, rugs, furniture or frames)
- Medical Equipment (no electric scooters)
- Walkers
- Potty Chairs
- Shower Chairs
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On the night of Wednesday, July 29th, The Caring Place experienced a break-in. The fence protecting the property was damaged along with the non-profit organization’s forklift. The full extent of the damage is not known at this time. This thoughtless action challenges the daily work we do to prepare for 3-4 food distributions each week in our drive through.
The Mission of The Caring Place is to provide for the basic human needs of all people in our community in a welcoming, respectful and caring way. Executive Director, Ginna O’Connor shares, “That someone would break in, steal or destroy property and try to hinder our ability to help our neighbors is truly disheartening. We want to remind our community to call 911 if they witness any suspicious activity happening after hours at The Caring Place. Our already well-worn, now disabled forklift, is a critically important piece of equipment that enables us to handle and distribute thousands of pounds of food every week. We need our tools to last for years, so we ask our community to not only be watchful, but also to inform others about our Mission. Hurting our property and equipment further challenges and distracts from how we help our neighbors in need, especially during this critical time.”
What does the single forklift do at The Caring Place?
- Transports upwards of 2,000 pounds of food daily through the warehouse while staff work to package it for the Drive Through Food Pantry
- Rearranges 50 pallets each day as staff create assembly lines to most efficiently package food
- Unloads the truck 3 to 4 times per week with the arrival of food we purchase from the Central Texas Food Bank
- Ensures safety of 10 staff in lifting heavy items
O’Connor further shares, “We are sharing information about what this single piece of equipment does, so the public understands the impact of malicious actions at our nonprofit. Many people are struggling in our community and all we want to do is continue helping them.”
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Always Learn the Latest...
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Need a Quick Guide to our Hours & Services?
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Click on the image below to download a pdf flyer you can download, print & share! Thank you for being an ambassador to The Caring Place!
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Thank you for your support!
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