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.