- A SPECIAL Message from Marjorie Vaneskahian Burr, ACO CEO -
Earlier this week a statement was made to the public announcing that "
ACO Offices, Pantry and Stores pride ourselves in keeping a safe and clean environment for all employees, clients, volunteers, donors and patrons. Rest assured that during this heightened time of concern over the COVID 19, Flu, and the general public safety that ACO is staying diligent in all efforts for prevention of the spread of germs and disease." The full statement and Continuity Plan are provided for you below. Details have been sent to our clients and to our volunteers.
During this time, ACO remains true to our mission to prevent hunger and homelessness and to provide a path to financial stability.
AND- some great things are happening that I want to share with you! ACO has been honored with some financial gifts that we are thrilled to celebrate. The Lennox Company made a donation of $20,000 to support programs. UPS awarded a grant to replace and update our computer lab and all equipment and software are being installed this week. The Hillcrest Foundation has given a $50,000 grant to purchase a refrigerated truck to expand our hunger efforts and mobile food pantry. As a Dallas Morning News Charity, we have again this year received their grant- one of our highest honors! Grande Communications, CoServ, and others have made funding gifts. Of course, the majority of our funding still comes from local gifts from individuals, families in Collin County, area businesses, the faith community, and income from our resale operations. I know that it is an unsure time in our economy in the short term, but we must remember that long term support is vital to assisting families- today and tomorrow.
Our staff recently took some time to re-evaluate our core values, which direct how we make decisions and perform our duties. I want to share with you what you can expect from our team ...
- We treat everyone with RESPECT and kindness without regard for age, sex, race, religion, handicap, national origin or citizenship status.
- We strive to partner and COLLABORATE in all areas to provide programs and services to our community while maximizing resources.
- We believe in "COMMUNITY" as the unity among our staff, our volunteers and donors, and the cities we serve as a whole.
- We believe that INTEGRITY drives all decisions within our organization and determines how we operate as an organization.
- We recognize that COMMUNICATION is key in all that we do to support our team approach with staff and volunteers, work with our clients, and share our message to donors and supporters.
- We pride ourselves on ADAPTABILITY as we adjust our programs and services as well as our processes to meet the current needs in our community.
Thank you for your continued support of ACO and your belief in our mission. Together we are changing the face of poverty, one neighbor at a time.
One more thing
....
Earlier this week we had a Collin College Service Learning student in for the day to work in our food pantry and her assignment was to journal her experience. Sometimes we get so busy just going about our business to serve, that we forget that what we do is REALLY AWESOME! This student grew up in a low income area and her family depended on government assistance, so she came through our doors with her memories of the "free food assistance" they received.
She said "when we had money for food we often bought cheap and unhealthy junk food. And the community donations we got matched the income of the area so the donations were unhealthy and not great quality."
She talked of our program not as a pantry, but a STORE! She said, "in the store parents are able to provide their children with full healthy meals and something that I deemed as a luxury as a child." She summed up her day saying, "Every single family that walked in that door was respected, loved and reminded that they deserve the food they are getting. It was an incredible day and I'm so glad that I got to spend it with the Allen Community Outreach Food Pantry Staff."
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ACO OPERATIONS CONTINUITY PLAN
March 11, 2020- ACO Offices, Pantry and Stores pride ourselves on keeping a safe and clean environment for all employees, clients, volunteers, donors and patrons. Rest assured that during this heightened time of concern over the COVID 19, Flu, and the general public safety that ACO is staying diligent in all efforts for prevention of the spread of germs and disease.
All locations are cleaned and disinfected regularly and we have increased the frequency of our routines. Hand sanitizers, antibacterial wipes, and disinfecting spray are available at all entrances to our facilities. Our staff and volunteers are continuing to maintain regular hand washing and cleaning of common surfaces throughout the day.
During this time, ACO remains true to our mission to prevent hunger and homelessness and to provide a path to financial stability. Operations of all facilities and the donation drop off at Butler Drive remain on a regular schedule until further notice. As always, we thank you for your continued support.
Priorities are to the safety of our staff and those we serve. Contingency plans are in place as needed to alter our processes for meeting with clients and providing services to limit personal interaction.
Effective Immediately:
- Anyone- staff, volunteers, clients and patrons- who are showing any sign of illness including symptoms of COVID 19 or Flu will be asked to remain at home and not enter any ACO facility. Everyone's safety is our priority.
- The ACO Computer Lab is closed as we upgrade our equipment, thanks to a grant from UPS. As soon as the new machines and software are installed we will announce the reopening of our lab.
- Scheduled "ROAD TO SUCCESS" Orientations and "WORKFORCE BOOTCAMPS" are suspended for the month of March. Dates for April will be announced.
- Our Client Services team will be offering phone interviews for assistance whenever possible and only appointments that must have a personal visit will be accepted. Utility and rental assistance may be handled remotely by phone, and time slots for distribution at the pantry will be taken by phone until further notice. Every effort will be made for convenience and safety of those we serve.
- The ACO Food Pantry will begin a new SHORT-TERM distribution system starting March 17 so that clients will not shop, but will receive pre-bagged groceries including fresh produce and dairy, meats and dry goods. We will increase the frequency of distribution to ensure that all families have plenty of fresh food items available. This will limit close proximity exposure to the public and protect our clients, our volunteers and staff. NO ONE WILL GO HUNGRY. Anyone who is symptomatic of COVID 19, flu or infections will be asked to stay home and request needs by phone. The same daily schedules of stocking and distribution will remain in place.
- Independent Study Options are available to all GED students and guidance by phone will be offered by the Director of Education. No on-site classes will be scheduled until further notice. Appointments with the Director of Employment will be handled in person or by phone on an individual basis.
- The Treasure Chest sales are cancelled for the remainder of March. New sale dates will be announced in April. This is precautionary for our volunteers and patrons since our space is limited during sales. Other resale operations including donation intake, the Main Street Resale and the Boutique at Watters Creek will continue regular business hours with detail to continuous cleaning and disinfecting.
With these minor changes to our operations procedures, we feel this will offer an extra layer of security to those families we serve, to our staff and volunteers, and to our customers and patrons. We will continue to evaluate our operations as needed. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Aaron Vaughn, Chief Operations Officer or Marjorie Vaneskahian Burr, Chief Executive Officer, 972-727-9131.
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- ACO Charity Golf Classic -
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JOIN US FOR A BEAUTIFUL DAY OUTDOORS...
A few player spots remain....Don't miss it! Register today....
Four person scramble with brats & dogs lunch, dinner buffet, poker run, closest to the pin contest, longest drive contest and more.
All proceeds from the Charity Golf Classic will benefit the programs & services ACO provides to over 2,000 families per year.
Enjoy a fun day while joining hands with
ACO, serving Collin County to create a community free of poverty- one neighbor at a time.
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