who is aco?
DESCRIPTION
ACO helps transform lives. Find out how!TRANSCRIPT
Allen Community
Outreach
Allen Community Outreach Mission Statement
ACO helps transform lives by providing essential human & social services in our communities.
ACO History
Allen Community Outreach (ACO) was founded in 1985 and is the sole provider of free human services and referral information for the cities of Allen, Fairview and Lucas in Collin County, Texas. ACO has grown from strictly information and referral services to an agency that provides many different services to help families that need a helping hand.
At first the agency was called Allen Information and Referral, but very quickly the scope of services grew and the name was changed to Allen Community Outreach (ACO) to reflect the community support.
ACO’s “One Stop Shop” Opened August 2009
This means those needing help have one place to come to for all of their needs.
2012 Statistics
Answered 16,680 information and referral calls
Served 3,707 unduplicated clients
Assisted 919 individuals with rent and utilities
Delivered 18,467 Meals On Wheels
Provided 362 students with bags of school supplies
Distributed Thanksgiving food boxes to 702 individuals
Distributed Christmas gifts to 599 individuals
Provided 275,487 pounds of food to people
Over 2,966 volunteers gave over 32,185 hours of time to ACO
ACO Services ACO Food Pantry
ACO Services ACO Resale Shops
ACO Services Care & Share Closet
Families can receive free household goods like paper towels, toothpaste and shampoo
By helping families with these expenses, they can apply their funds to other bills, car payments, etc.
This program is supported by schools and businesses as a community-service project while stocking our much needed closet.
ACO Services Meals-On-Wheels & More
Volunteers deliver hot meals around noon every weekday
to the elderly and/or homebound. A nourishing meal for these people is very important, but
even more important is the personal contact made. 18,467 meals were delivered in 2012.
G.E.D. Classes
•Offered every Tuesday and Thursday from 6:00pm – 7:30pm
•A self-paced program taught by an accredited Allen ISD teacher
•Over 350 people have enrolled in the program
“Fill the Bus” School Supply Drive
For the 2012-2013 school year, 362 kids received new school supplies and a new pair of shoes that their families would not have been able to afford.
Thanksgiving Food Distribution
Christmas Adopt a Child, Teen or Senior
Fundraising •Dallas Morning News Charities
•Third Party Fundraisers
•Planned Giving
•Grants
•General Donations
•Cash Campaigns – “Christmas in July” and Annual Holiday Campaign
•Special Events in 2013:
•Wine Masters – March 22 •Colin Moran Memorial Golf – April 29 •ACO Charity Golf Classic – September 16 •Inaugural “Restyle” Resale Fashion Show – November 15
How can you be involved?
Let others know all the ACO can do to help someone in need
Think of ways to help by holding a food drive, or gathering donations instead of gifts for a birthday
Sponsor an event
Volunteer your time