On September 17, support the transformative work of The Storehouse to feed, clothe and care as neighbors in one community, and be a part of the largest community-wide giving event in the nation
The Storehouse of Collin County encourages the community to come together, be a part of the equation, and help multiply hope on North Texas Giving Day for thousands of neighbors in need in Collin County. Despite the challenges of COVID-19, The Storehouse along with the help of the caring members of the community, has continued meeting the growing needs in our community.
In February 2020, The Storehouse had just moved into its new space and exactly one month later, the impact of the pandemic was evident. The number of families seeking food assistance grew from 770 families (2,748 individuals) in January, to 2,369 families (8,840 individuals) in April, sustaining at 1,336 families (5,263 individuals) in July.
“Today we are seeing a sustained average of 1,300 families or 5,000 individuals – a significant increase from the number served during the first of the year,” stated Candace Winslow, executive director, The Storehouse of Collin County. “As our need for services has multiplied, so has our need for support. For North Texas Giving Day 2020, let us consider the power of multiplication and how together we can make a bigger difference in Collin County and beyond.”
The Storehouse of Collin County began 11 years ago as the Seven Loaves Food Pantry after Sharon Hasley, wife of St. Andrew United Methodist Church’s Senior Pastor Robert Hasley, witnessed the effects of severe poverty in a Collin County grocery store. After seeing a woman buying 20 cans of cat food and learning she had no cats, she left the store with a burdened heart. Soon after, Hasley happened into a conversation with the late Jan Pruitt, CEO at the North Texas Food Bank, and the two expressed a common desire to increase support efforts in Collin County, where even before COVID-19, 65,000 Collin County residents (6 percent) live in poverty; 1 out of 5 children (18.4 percent) in Collin County face food insecurity daily; and women ages 18-44 (23 percent) make up the largest demographic living in poverty.
At first, Hasley tried to feed hungry families on her own but soon realized the needs within the community were larger than one person could handle. She decided to multiply her efforts by bringing in 12 people to brainstorm and work with her. The Seven Loaves Food Pantry opened in May 2009 to a single family on the St. Andrew campus. The effort quickly grew in a program not only supported by the church, but also by local corporations, food service partners, and thousands of volunteers. As other needs became apparent, Joseph’s Coat was added in 2010 to provide clothing items to the families, a program sustained with ongoing clothing donations from church and community members. A third program called Project Hope was added in 2010 to serve women and families who desired to break the cycle of poverty. Today these three programs work in tandem under the banner of The Storehouse of Collin County.
“Looking back, I now know that the only way I could have fulfilled my life’s purpose of ‘service’ was to multiply my efforts by serving alongside others,” said Sharon Hasley, founder of Seven Loaves Food Pantry, now under the umbrella of The Storehouse of Collin County. “The Storehouse is built on a foundation of individuals who multiply their efforts and their impact through collaboration. Because multiplication leads to exponential outcomes, everyone can play an important role on North Texas Giving Day. Every gift, no matter its size, multiplies hope for many.”
As a partner agency and one of the largest distributors of food for the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB), The Storehouse can stretch a donor’s dollar to purchase a larger quantity of food. No gift is too small – just one dollar will provide three meals to a hungry North Texan. On September 17, visit https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/thestorehousecc, give to The Storehouse of Collin County, help those in Collin County affected by poverty, and be a part of the largest community-wide giving event in the nation.
“In a year where nothing has added up, we have found new ways to multiply hope for our neighbors through innovation, resilience, teamwork, and a genuine care for everyone in our community,” added Winslow. “Additionally, the love we have given to our neighbors and the love they have returned has multiplied. As long as there is a need in our community, we will continue to feed, clothe, and care as neighbors. Please join us on North Texas Giving Day. Together, let’s #MultiplyHope.”
The Storehouse of Collin County, a nonprofit whose mission is to feed, clothe and care for neighbors in one community, provides short-term assistance and long-term transformation to residents of Collin County in need: the Seven Loaves Food Pantry, serving 1,300 families a month; Joseph’s Coat Clothing Closet, providing an average of 4,000 garments each month; and Project Hope, a mentoring program supporting women in crisis. The program first began in 2009 under the name of Seven Loaves which provided only food pantry staples and grew over the years to meet a variety of needs. An estimated 130,000 people in Collin County live below the poverty level, more than half of which are children. In September 2018, The Storehouse received the North Texas Food Bank’s Partner Agency of the Year Excellence in Impact Award in recognition of its life changing services, meeting multiple needs for each family served. Visit www.thestorehousecc.org. The Storehouse EIN: 27-1883333