allen

Description

http://www.acocares.org Rebuilding Lives in Allen, Fairview and Lucas by providing emergency assistance for families and individuals. Rebuilding lives, one family at a time.... Like building blocks, rebuilding the lives of a family takes many blocks, each carefully laid to build a foundation. The loss of employment, a family illness and unpaid bills can all cause a family to break down and create a feeling of helplessness. Help obtaining the skills to rebuild lives is available at Allen Community Outreach. Opened in 1985, Allen Community Outreach (ACO) has helped families living in Allen, Fairview and Lucas to rebuild their lives through the many services provided. ACO is a non-profit organization, funded in part by Collin County United Way, an affiliate of United Way Metropolitan Dallas. The majority of funding for the agency comes from local, individual donations and fund raising activities. Providing the necessary building materials .... Tools to rebuild the lives of a family in crisis are available though ACO programs and services. Many families may need only short-term assistance, like a "bridge" built to help them through a crisis. Others' lives have been torn a part, or stripped of everything and they require more specialized assistance and counseling to regain stability within their family. Most of the necessary building blocks are available through financial assistance with household bills, groceries from the Allen Food Pantry, clothing and house wares from the ACO Resale Shop, new school supplies for children in need, and holiday programs providing groceries for a traditional Thanksgiving meal and gifts and toys for children, teens and seniors at Christmas, and more. Volunteers and Donors make it happen .... Without the many hours of volunteers and the generous donations of those throughout the community, ACO would not exist. It takes all of us working together to help our neighbors and friends rebuild. Collections of everything from toothpaste to diapers to laundry detergent are gathered with kindness by school children, church groups and community leaders and made available at ACO's office for those families in need of the basic necessities. Donations large and small from our community stay in our community. Through our Meals on Wheels & More program, ACO volunteers deliver warm smiles along with warm meals to homebound individuals each weekday. Volunteers' helping hands and donations of gently used clothing, furniture and household items help to stock the ACO Resale Shop. Families in need of items can shop for what they need through a voucher system. Donations of food, toys and many volunteer hours assure a happy holiday for the families in Allen, Fairview and Lucas. Please browse through the ACO website to learn about the services provided and how volunteers and donors can help. For more information please contact the Allen Community Outreach offices at 801 E Main St in Allen or call 972-727-9131.