As the holidays approach, many North Texas families are feeling the strain of a difficult year. The Storehouse in Plano is seeing that need firsthand. They are a nonprofit food bank that makes sure thousands are taken care of each year.<\/p>\n
“So when you look, even just pre-pandemic, until today, it’s more than 400% increase in the number of neighbors that we serve,” said Sarah Whitland, the chief development officer at The Storehouse.<\/p>\n
Food has always been at the core of the nonprofit’s mission. Families can receive up to 90 pounds of food per visit.<\/p>\n
“Last year, we served 160,000 unduplicated neighbors. That is individuals served, not number of touchpoints,” Whitland said.<\/p>\n
The Storehouse also offers clothing, job training, financial support, and health resources, all designed to help neighbors gain skills, find stable work, and live better.<\/p>\n
“We want to walk alongside them until we’re able to connect them with living wage employment,” Whitland said.<\/p>\n
Many of the people they serve come from what staff call “invisible poverty” in North Dallas, a high-need area that often goes overlooked. More than 2,300 volunteers help make sure families are supported.<\/p>\n
“I am very much in favor of helping where we can, in every aspect,” said volunteer Susan Hildebrand.<\/p>\n
For volunteers, the work is a calling.<\/p>\n
“It’s so hard to believe that in this country, people go hungry. And so if I can help, in my own little corner of the world, then I have done something good,” said volunteer Jamie Jenkins.<\/p>\n
The Storehouse is fully donation-funded, and 92 cents of every dollar goes straight back into the community.<\/p>\n
That’s why it was chosen as a recipient of a $1,000 donation through CBS News Texas’ 11 Days of Giving<\/a>, sponsored by Tom Thumb Albertsons.<\/p>\n “That thousand dollars, that is direct support for our neighbors, that is directly impacting the families that we serve,” Whitland said.<\/p>\n The gift will help The Storehouse continue its mission and reach more families across North Texas.<\/p>\n