October 1, 2022
The Season of Giving Begins
Dear Friend,

What does autumn bring with it? The holiday season. One thing you will notice among the non-profits in our community is most of us enter a season of giving at this time. With that often comes the release of new stories. Here at The Caring Place those stories include hardships, resilience, and triumphs. We love sharing personal stories when we can because we think it's important that you know the good work you are supporting when you shop, donate and volunteer here. Our neighbors who choose to share their stories with the public agree with that sentiment. They always say they are sharing their story because they want to be sure our community continues to support us, that they want others who need a helping hand to know where to go and because they are grateful. It's that last word that means the most to me today. Grateful. Like our neighbors in need, we are so grateful for the work you help us do through your unwavering support.

Would you like to make plans for holiday giving to The Caring Place? In this edition of "Another Month of Caring," you will find several easy ways to show your support.

Blessings,

Ginna O'Connor
Executive Director
Success Story:
Confident Changes
Summer, a mother of two young boys and seven months pregnant with a daughter, was referred to The Caring Place by Williamson County Victim Services. Her domestic violence situation was the catalyst in her story, and you’ll be amazed at what she accomplished. It all started with her ending a situation she knew she could not be in anymore. Domestic violence impacted her ability to work and keep herself safe. When Summer obtained a restraining order, she was ready to care for her young family independently. The Caring Place first helped with mortgage assistance and food while she had her baby and made her next move. Through Crisis Assistance, she was able to keep her home and provide shelter for her family, which was very important to her. Knowing that Summer had bigger goals, The Caring Place referred her to our Case Management program, where she met her Case Manager...

Giving: Monetary Gifts
Monetary Gifts: If you are looking for a place to make an impact in your local community during the holiday season, we hope you will consider The Caring Place. We are currently experiencing an influx of neighbors needing financial assistance due to a crisis. Your gift can help neighbors like Summer from the story above. You may give your gift in memory or in tribute of an individual. If you'd like to get in on the fun of Giving Tuesday, you can do that on Tuesday, November 29th, or just mark your checks and donations "Giving Tuesday" so we know that's the campaign that inspired you this holiday season.

Give at:
Little Blue Barrel: Each fall we begin a fundraiser specifically for our Food Pantry. Reserve a "Little Blue Barrel" from our Community Engagement Manager and pass it around to collect funds for the Food Pantry. The Caring Place can purchase approximately 10 pounds of food for every dollar donated! That's pretty remarkable and one of the reasons we suggest monetary gifts to feed the most people.

October marks the start of our Hunger Free Holiday campaign! You can help make sure that our Food Pantry and remote food distribution work is always an amazing food resource for our neighbors by filling those Little Blue Barrels!

Giving: Treasures
Donate Your Stuff
The holiday season is the perfect time to make a little space by donating your gently used items. It's hard to believe your old stuff can support a mission as big as ours, but it does!

Visit our 2000 Railroad Avenue drive-through, Mon-Sat, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Learn more at:
Giving: Time & Talents
Volunteer
This place is getting busy! From our Food Pantry to our Thrift Stores, things are bustling and we need more volunteers to get us through the season. We have weekly opportunities to help you fill your time in a positive way.

Fill out an application at:
Giving: By Shopping
Thrift Shopping
Have you tried thrift shopping? Our prices alone keep customers coming back for decor, furniture, books, toys, crafts, and clothing, but our variety and unique finds are definitely a factor, too.

Looking for holiday attire? You can only find a full array of clothing at our 2000 Railroad location, but Second Helping at 3700 Williams now offers specialty clothing and select formal attire.

Photo was taken at Second Helping. You'll also find wonderful fall and holiday displays at both locations. Come get some inspiration!
ebay
Visit our eBay store where we sell collectibles, antiques, and high-end items from our donations. Your purchases support our work to help families in crisis, just like in our Thrift Stores.

AmazonSmile
You can designate us on Amazon as your charity of choice, and a percentage of your eligible purchases will be donated to The Caring Place at no cost to you. Signing up is easy and free! Just be sure to check out from the AmazonSmile website every time you make a purchase.

Did you know using AmazonSmile from the mobile app works a little bit differently? After you have the Amazon App, and after you have joined AmazonSmile and chosen The Caring Place as your nonprofit, you need to "turn on AmazonSmile." Open the app and find ’Settings’ in the main menu (☰). Tap on ‘AmazonSmile’ and follow the on-screen instructions to turn on AmazonSmile on your phone.


Let's boost our AmazonSmile gifts this season. Be sure to get it set up on your phone AND bookmarked on your computer!

Randalls
Randalls offers customers a way to direct their donation dollars to us! To get started, simply print the form on our website or from the Randalls website. Fill it out with our account number (13870) and give it to the courtesy booth at your local Randalls. Here in Georgetown, we have a Randalls at the corner of Williams Drive and Jim Hogg Road on the west side of town.

Our Services
Food Pantry: The Caring Place Food Pantry at 2000 Railroad Avenue is designed to offer supplemental food, one time a month. On average, a single household leaves the Pantry each month with 136 pounds of food valued at about $340. We feel that food savings can help a household budget in a way that works for their family by saving on food costs.

Families in Jarrell, Bartlett and Granger can also choose to utilize the Mobile Food Pantry instead on designated days.

Programs & Services: Our broader assistance offerings fall under this department at 2001 Railroad Avenue. Financial Assistance for those within our service area includes rent, mortgage, housing deposits, utilities, transportation and emergency dental and prescription assistance with verifiable proof of crisis. If individuals have a desire to make additional changes in order to increase their quality of living, Case Management Services are also available.

Our Accomplishments
Did you know being Accountable and acting with Integrity are two of our "I am CARING" values? One of the ways we show you these values is by sharing our Awards and Accomplishments with you. Most recently we were awarded the Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid (Previously Guidestar). Candid is the largest source for non-profit information. This newly awarded seal recognizes The Caring Place's commitment to transparency. We know as you look for non-profits to support in our community, that is important to you.

The Caring Place has also been awarded Charity Navigator's coveted 4-Star rating since 2014. Only a quarter of charities rated by Charity Navigator receive the distinction of the 4-star rating. Based on its 4-star rating, people can trust that their donations are going to a financially responsible and ethical charity when they decide to support The Caring Place.

The Caring Place is also a Central Texas Food Bank Platinum Partner. The Caring Place receives rewards based on its tier level, including eligibility for grant funding, reduced handling fees on orders, and priority for Food Bank pilot programs. This allows The Caring Place to further improve the availability of resources for clients in our community. The Caring Place is honored to be a Platinum Partner as it allows us to enhance our Food Programs while being good stewards of your donations.

And finally, The Caring Place has been voted as the Best of Georgetown, TX as the "best place to give and volunteer" since 2011 by its community! We feel this award also demonstrates that neighbors like you know we encompass all of our "I am CARING" values. Those values include Integrity, Caring, Accountable, Respectful, Inclusive, Neighborly, and Grateful. We would not be The Caring Place without taking these values to heart. In November you will find us asking for your vote once more during the "Best of Georgetown, TX" 2022 award cycle.

Thank you again for helping us achieve these awards through your support. You are the reason we exist as such a special place in our community.
Meet our Volunteers
This summer, we highlighted the work and stories of some of our volunteers! Check it out on our blog! If you can relate to the stories of our volunteers and have a big heart as they do, you might be a good fit here as a volunteer yourself!
Blog: Meet Trena

Trena began volunteering as a child with her sisters. They volunteered at a nursing home in Austin where they also visited with their great, great grandmother. They played music for the residents and were general little helpers, moving chairs and ...

Read more
www.caringplacetx.org
Blog: Meet Michelle

At The Caring Place, it is a constant moving puzzle to figure out not only what donated items are, but also what they should be priced at and where they should go. Michelle, describing her job, said, "I do mostly intake of donations. I do pricing.

Read more
www.caringplacetx.org
Other News at TCP...
Press & Blog
Link to: Blog and Media
Link to: Past Newsletters
Link to: TCP Calendar
Link to: Service Area
Link to: How to Get Help
Would you like to read The Caring Place 101? This issue of "Another Month of Caring" offers you the opportunity to save or print various flyers so that you can share information about our programs, services, and ways to help. You can read that September issue here: The Caring Place 101
Thank you to our partners:
Our partners and you, our wonderful supporters, allow us to carry out our mission to provide for the basic human needs of all people in our community in a welcoming, respectful and caring way.
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