State of The
Storehouse
2022
One House, One Direction Welcome to our first annual State of
demonstrate our focus for 2022 and the
The Storehouse digital magazine! We
plans we have for the coming year.
have produced this magazine to give a retrospective look at our impact in 2021 while sharing the great plans we have in store for 2022.
Candace Winslow Executive Director
At your convenience, please take a few minutes and peruse the pages ahead. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by all that has been accomplished and what we
Clearly, the last year presented new
have planned for our future. And may I ask
opportunities for us to feed, clothe and
you to share this magazine with someone
care as neighbors in one community that
whom you think might like to be a part of
we could not have anticipated at the
our mission? We could not do our work
beginning of 2021. Yet despite a pandemic
without you and those whom you invite to
that kept things “interesting,” to say the
be a part of our service.
least, we were able to fulfill our mission thanks to the hundreds of volunteers
I continue to be inspired by the volunteers, donors and Storehouse team members
and donors who are dedicated to The
who see that their gifts of time, talent and
Storehouse in extraordinary ways.
resources can translate to love and grace
Starting with page 5, you will see a
for another. I remain grateful for all who
reflection of what we said we were going
stand behind our mission, week-in and
to do back in January 2021 and what we
week-out, to strengthen our community.
actually accomplished in the areas of
We are, indeed, one house following the
Assessment, Integration and Stewardship.
direction of One who has called each of us
When I review pages 15-16, I can’t help
to serve!
but smile while looking at some of the wonderful highlights of the past year. And
With my thanks for you!
perhaps most exciting are pages 17-18 that
The mission of The Storehouse of Collin County is to feed, clothe, and care as neighbors in one community.
Board of Directors Charlotte Admire
Beth Jarvie
Paul Myers
Michele Thatcher, Chair
Vicky Dearing
Sharon Hasley, Emeritus
Forrest Pool
Ligia Urrego
Bud Farnham
Adrienne Mosley
Heather Rapkoch
Kisha Voss
Carolyn Getridge
Dave Murashige
Berk Smith
Mike Walker
STATE OF THE STOREHOUSE 2022
Contents 03
Our 2021 Impact
05
Our 2021 Strategy
07
Assessment
09
Integration
A quick glance at our 2021 impact
A recap of our 2021 strategic focus
What we have learned by asking
11
Stewardship
15
Our 2021 Highlights
17
Our 2022 Vision
Maximing our most valuable resource
Memorable moments that made us smile
Our blueprint for the year ahead
Ensuring our programs work together
Nancy
Alison
John
Christi
Jeff
Jackie
Candace
Ben
Margarita
Jacque
Ruby
Shirley
Our Team 1 Year
3 Years
6 Years
Nancy Mendez
Jackie Welchman Director of Project Hope
Ruby Gibke
Project Hope Coordinator
Alison Jacob
4 Years
Operations Coordinator
John Horan Director of Seven Loaves
2 Years Christi Ferrell Director of Joseph’s Coat
Jeff Morton Director of Operations
Candace Winslow Executive Director
5 Years Ben Skye Director of Communications & Culture
Margarita Garcia Joseph’s Coat Coordinator
Seven Loaves Coordinator
8 Years Jacque Devonport Director of Volunteer Services
11 Years Shirley Larson Bookkeeper
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1.
Our 2021 Impact: At a Glance
1,988,549 Meals Provided
857
Hours of Care
Seven Loaves provided 2,386,259 pounds of food to
Our Project Hope team spent 857
26,632 households. Of the individuals served, 12,476 were
hours providing direct care to 598
senior adults, and 34,348 were children.
women and their families.
43,804 Articles of Clothing Joseph’s Coat distributed 43,804 articles of clothing at no cost to 1,322 households. We also provided 976 winter coats to adults and children.
1,207 Requests We received and responded to 1,207 online request forms from neighbors seeking resources beyond food and clothing.
STATE OF THE STOREHOUSE 2022
4
655
Unique individual volunteers
12,718
Hours of volunteer service across programs
+ 44%
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Increase in Individuals Fed The effects of COVID-19 continue to be felt in our communities. Many of our neighbors continue to report struggles with meeting basic needs such as food, clothing, housing, and access to affordable medical care. Together, generous individuals like you who contribute time, energy, and finances to support The Storehouse mission enabled us to meet the growing needs of our neighbors in 2021. Over the next few pages, we share some of the things we learned as we fed, clothed, and cared as one community this year.
1. Volunteers LeAnn Priebe, Noah Ziegelbein, Susan Gradick, and Blanton Priebe getting ready to run food carts at our pantry distribution. 2. Kathy Jascott is a founding volunteer of Joseph’s Coat and continues to serve faithfully every week. 3. Janie Ellis (left) showing our corporate guests how to prepare bags with dry food items. 4. Board Member Dave Murashige serving as a food loader at our weekly food pantry distribution. 5. Jackie Welchman, Director of Project Hope, leading a monthly psychoeducational class for participants in our transformation program.
2.
Our 2021 Strategy: Continuous Improvement At last year’s State of The Storehouse we determined three major areas of strategic focus: assessment of our neighbors, integration of our programs, and stewardship of our resources.
Assessment Our first area of strategic focus in 2021 was to “get to know” our neighbors better. We set out this past year to challenge ourselves to have more empathy for those we serve and to ask our neighbors how we can best meet their needs.
Integration While all three of our programs have historically been impactful on the neighbors we serve, we recognized that these programs needed to work more closely in tandem to meet the holistic needs of our neighbors.
STATE OF THE STOREHOUSE 2022
Jeff Morton Director of Operations
“Implementing the vision set by Candace and our board does not happen by chance. One of the greatest joys of managing our operations is witnessing how our collective, thoughtful attention to each detail yields incredible results in the service of our neighbors. We witnessed unprecedented growth in our neighbors’ needs in 2021, yet our team of volunteers and staff consistently rose to the occasion to meet each need. As we prepare and distribute food and clothing each week, there is a sense of peace and confidence knowing we are all working
Stewardship We cannot do what we do on a daily basis without the proper stewardship of our most valuable resources: our people, our finances, and our service spaces. Careful cultivation of each resource allows us to maximize our impact on the community.
together to live into our vision and love our neighbors well.”
Ben Skye Director of Communications & Culture
“As a professional counselor, I have a deep appreciation for the immense power of the human mind. We have the incredible ability to visualize and set goals for who we want to become. The vision we put forth each year serves as a guidepost driving our organization forward to better serve our community. I am so proud to be part of a team united in our vision and values.”
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3.
Assessment: Empathy in Action “Having volunteered for three years prior to joining The Storehouse team, I recall many conversations with fellow volunteers about our neighbors and their needs. We recognized the importance of conducting assessments that will allow us to not only know our neighbors better, but to also make informed decisions about how we should
John Horan Director of Seven Loaves
plan our services. One of our core values is empathy, and asking our neighbors how we can serve them is a great first step in putting ourselves in their shoes.”
Top 5 Important Foods Our assessment in August focused on determining what food items neighbors find as most important to their families. Here’s what our neighbors told us:
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monthly assessments conducted
14,284 total neighbor responses
1. Fresh Produce 2. Frozen Meats 3. Fresh Milk & Cheese 4. Rice 5. Drinking Water
We cannot build a long-term vision without knowing our neighbor. Most Needed Clothing In September, we asked what clothing items our neighbors need most for their families. Our neighbors also shared with us that the best day for clothing appointments would be on Saturday from 8 - 11 a.m.
1. Adult Clothing 2. Adult Coats 3. Adult Shoes 4. Children’s Clothing 5. Children’s Coats
STATE OF THE STOREHOUSE 2022
8
Asking our neighbors what they need has informed our operations - from the items that go on our Thanksgiving food carts to the donation requests we send out to groups looking to partner with us.
2.
3.
34% ESL Courses
Education & Training In July, we asked: “If The Storehouse were to offer classes free of charge to you,
12% College Application Process for My Children
which of the following skills would you be
11%
interested in learning?”
Professional Trade Skills
1. “At Joseph’s Coat, we strive to provide a safe and welcoming environment for all neighbors to select clothing items for their family. This assessment information is crucial for us as we continue to improve our operations
75% Word of Mouth
to meet the ever-growing needs for
Three out of four neighbors learn
clothing in our community.
about us by word of mouth. Read
Knowing our neighbors’ needs also
more about how this data point
helps us better inform donors on how to best support our clothing program.”
informed our integration strategy in the next section.
1. Noah Ziegelbein answering a neighbor’s question about our assessment at food distribution.
Christi Ferrell Director of Joseph’s Coat
2. Dani Price with the Relief Society learned about our most needed clothing items. She and her group donated 50 winter coats to Joseph’s Coat. 3. Volunteer Mark Daniel loading food boxes at our Annual Thanksgiving Distribution. Each box contained food items based on neighbor responses from our June neighbor assessment. 4. Jason McWilliams, with CSC Security, hands out intake and assessment forms to neighbors when they first arrive at distribution.
4.
4.
Integration: Holistic Care “One of my first assignments when I
In 2021, I have worked closely with John
started as a graduate intern in Project
Horan and Christi Ferrell internally to
Hope in 2019 was to be present at our food
ensure our neighbors have a clear idea of
pantry distributions to provide a listening
all the resources they can access at The
ear for neighbors and to answer questions
Storehouse and beyond.
about resources in our community.
Jackie Welchman Director of Project Hope
We have also established partnerships with
These early experiences at The Storehouse
other organizations in Collin and Dallas
further reinforced my perspective that we
County that can help meet the wide variety
must view each neighbor holistically and
of needs of our neighbors. Truly, it is a
that encouraging and trusting relationships
privilege for us to be part of a community
can lead to transformation.
of helpers.”
Community Resource Guides (CRGs) Three out of four neighbors rely on word of mouth from friends and family to learn about our services. The CRGs provide neighbors with a tool to find and share accurate, up-to-date information about us.
1.
2.
3.
1. John Horan, our Director of Seven Loaves, explains how our programs work together before each distribution. 2. Our Community Resource Guides provide information on how our neighbors can access all three of our programs. 3. In May, our hospitality team showed neighbors how to book an appointment to visit Joseph’s Coat.
STATE OF THE STOREHOUSE 2022
10
Neighbor Pathway Here’s how our programs work together to help meet our neighbors’ needs beyond food and clothing:
Neighbor arrives at our
Neighbor is greeted by
weekly Seven Loaves food
bilingual hospitality volunteers
pantry distribution.
before receiving food.
First time neighbors receive CRGs which explain how to access Joseph’s Coat and other Storehouse programs.
Neighbors with needs
Neighbor is contacted by
When appropriate, neighbors
beyond food provide contact
Project Hope team with more
receive referrals to other
information for follow-up.
information on resources.
agencies who can meet needs.
Average Number of Requests:
Jan - May:
27/mo.
Jun - Dec:
153/mo.
The addition of Nancy Mendez, our bilingual Project Hope Coordinator, further enhanced the rapport we have with our neighbors by bridging the language and cultural gap. Nancy serves as our first point of contact for neighbors and works closely with Jackie to determine the neighbor’s next steps. Since Nancy joined our team in May, we have seen our online requests for additional resources increase significantly from an average of 27 requests per month from January through May to 153 per month from June through December.
We are not only in the food pantry or clothing closet business, we are in the transformation business. Neighbor Success Story: Maria Seeking asylum, Maria left her
resources through Project Hope for
country in February 2019 in search
her and her family. She also
of a better life for herself and her
received mental health care for her
two daughters. Maria left behind a
trauma from a past relationship
successful career as a journalist and
marked by domestic violence.
had to start over in her new country. She first came to The Storehouse during our 2020 Thanksgiving Distribution. In addition to food, Maria received clothing through Joseph’s Coat and life-changing
Today, Maria has a full-time job supporting herself and her two daughters. She has also discovered a renewed confidence and courage to face the challenges ahead.
5.
Stewardship: Maximizing Resources People | Partnerships | Giving | Space Before COVID-19 turned the world upside down, it was rare for us to serve over 150 households at any given two-hour food distribution. This year, we have regularly served upward of 500 neighbors at our food distributions as we continue connecting neighbors with our clothing and support programs. Our generous community continues to give time, energy, and finances to support our mission. The gifts we receive will help meet needs today while also allowing us to invest in future leaders, connect with new volunteers, and strengthen partnerships.
PEOPLE
We are committed to stewarding our most precious commodities: people and financial gifts. Volunteers One of the best parts of 2021 was welcoming back all of our volunteers across all three of our programs. With our volunteers’ help, we were able to meet the growing needs in our community while maintaining a safe and meaningful volunteer experience. We also welcomed Alison Jacob to our team as our Operations Coordinator. Thanks to Alison, we have been able to optimize our online volunteer portal by establishing a consistent bi-monthly volunteer sign-up rhythm. Our volunteers continue to serve with excellence, exhibiting our values of engagement, empathy, and encouragement. Thank you, volunteers!
STATE OF THE STOREHOUSE 2022
12
“ My time at The Storehouse taught me that you can do incredible things with a small team... and that Seven Loaves really can feed
5,000
”
.
- Alizah Wilson
Jacque Devonport Director of Volunteer Services
“The Storehouse is incredibly blessed to have the most dedicated volunteers who give their best to serve our neighbors. I am grateful beyond measure for the opportunity to create a volunteer
2021 Summer Fellowship: Alizah Wilson From June through September,
We are so thankful for Alizah, and
Alizah served as our summer
we wish her the best in her new
fellow serving alongside us while
role as Volunteer & Development
learning about a career in nonprofit
Coordinator with Little Lights Urban
leadership and management.
Ministries in Washington D.C.
experience that is safe, meaningful and interactive - whether it’s for our core group of recurring volunteers, visiting corporate and social volunteer groups, or students who are cultivating a life of serving others. The addition of Alison Jacob to our team has been an immense help. Alison’s technological expertise managing the
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online volunteer portal has allowed me to further focus on continuously improving our experience for volunteers.”
Student leaders, 9th - 12th Grade
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Ruby Gibke Seven Loaves Coordinator
High schools in North Texas represented
“My journey at The Storehouse
Youth Leadership Council: Class of ‘22
started like many of our long-time volunteers - as a parent of students
Youth Leadership Council (YLC)
The purpose of The Storehouse YLC
completing volunteer hours for a service
Executive Committee:
is to provide high school students
organization.
President: Luke Stanton
with leadership experience through
Vice-President: Anjali Raghavan
service.
I am so thankful for all our amazing
Applications for our Class of ‘23 will
have built over the years. Our volunteers
open in April 2022.
are our greatest treasure!”
Secretary: Natalie Weissinger Treasurer: Rishika Chimanji Adult Advisor: Sandy Weissinger
volunteers and the many friendships we
PARTNERSHIPS
Food We continue to strengthen our thriving partnership with North Texas Food Bank which supplies the bulk of our food items. Our collaboration has shifted beyond solely addressing food insecurity to include innovation on how to provide other lifechanging resources for our community. We also resumed food donation pickups this year, which we suspended in 2020, with retail partners Trader Joes, Costco, and Kroger.
Resources Living up to the concept of “one community”
13
3
Our partnership
partners
with North Texas
providing food
Food Bank
weekly
RETAIL
GIVING
YEARS
in our mission statement, our Project Hope team continues to work with many local organizations such as Catholic Charities Dallas for immigration support and Dallas Furniture Bank for home goods.
$415,205 434
total raised from
1.
individual gifts
For North Texas Giving Day in 2021, we shared stories of how friendships are formed across The Storehouse between staff, neighbors, and volunteers. We were blown away by another incredible year of North Texas Giving Day where we raised 197% of our $210,000 goal.
2. 1.
Neighbors Patricia Segura, Maria Pineda and volunteer Kathy Jascott joined our team on set to film our North Texas Giving Day story series, “Set Our Table.”
2. Director of Communications & Culture Ben Skye posing for a social media photo for North Texas Giving Day 2021.
Mark your calendars: North Texas Giving Day will be on 9.22.22 this year!
STATE OF THE STOREHOUSE 2022
Thank You! Special thanks to these corporate and social organizations for volunteering with us in 2021! Infinitude
esrp
bubo
Zeta Tau Alpha
Northwest Hardwoods
Lennox
NTCUMC
esrp bubo Collin County Zeta Tau Alpha Alumnae Northwest Hardwoods Lennox The North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church (NTCUMC) Citrix Systems National Charity League Young Men’s Service League
“During my time here, The
4,582 SPACE
Sq. Ft.
total space
1.
~125K pounds
of food stored at capacity
Storehouse has grown tremendously, both in size of operations and scale of impact on our community. As bookkeeper, I get to witness daily the incredible generosity of our wonderful donors who help make this all possible. Thank you for supporting our mission!”
~5,000 articles
of clothing in
2. 1.
3.
our closet
Our mission statement and core values now adorn the walls of our space.
2. Our upgraded volunteer check-in kiosk with snacks, gear, and posters. 3. Our continued thanks to St. Andrew United Methodist Church for allowing us to share Festival Hall for our weekly Joseph’s Coat clothing distributions on Fridays.
Shirley Larson Bookkeeper
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6.
2021 Highlights: Moments That Made Us Smile
APRIL Dillard Leeds completed our new Joseph’s Coat donation shed for his Eagle Scout Project.
JANUARY
JUNE
Student volunteer Anjali
The Storehouse was one of five
Raghavan kicked off 2021 with
organizations in Plano that received a
an incredible gift: she spent
$10,000 gift from the H-E-B Foundation
her winter break handcrafting
at their groundbreaking for their new
300 cards with words of
location on Preston and Spring Creek.
encouragement in Spanish and English for our neighbors.needs.
93 Our day with H-E-B was the most liked post on Instagram in 2021 with 93 likes!
STATE OF THE STOREHOUSE 2022
38
“This is a unique place that values both excellence and a caring environment. The staff is family and works with integrity and drive towards the mission of the organization.”
Five Star Reviews on Google in 2021 We received 38 fivestar reviews this year and maintain an overall
- Anonymous Staff Survey for Best Places to Work
7th Place
in Micro Category (10-24 employees)
SEPTEMBER The Storehouse was recognized as a top 100 Best Places to Work by the Dallas Business Journal.
rating of 4.9.
621 4-6 Scarves
Here’s a few of our favorites:
Hours Each
DECEMBER
“What a lovely bunch
Elizabeth Thomas and Patti Hoff
of people. They are so
coordinated a group of 40 women
humble and make you
in a year-long effort handcrafting
feel so comfortable
621 scarves as Christmas gifts to
and at ease. When in
distribute to our neighbors.
need they are there. Super love the fact that they are all about helping our own community first...” - Kiane N.
1,731
Families Served
NOVEMBER
“What a wonderful organization and they have incredibly caring volunteers; a blessing to those in need of an
The Storehouse received a generous
extra hand.”
corporate gift of $22,500 toward
- ahsomoza
our mission. Storehouse Director of Operations Jeff Morton receiving the donation check from Elliott Zimmer, VP & COO of Lennox. We also successfully completed our annual Thanksgiving Distribution providing turkeys and Thanksgiving meals to 1,731 families - our largest distribution to date!
“Friendly and very helpful volunteers!” - Victoria Rojas
“They were awesome. Best place I ever went for help! They helped me and several other people who were in need and they are very resourceful and they made my day.” - Yancy Stewart
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7.
2022 Vision: A Year of Growth With your help, here’s what we aim to accomplish at The Storehouse in 2022:
• Maintain quality of service
• Maintain quality of service
• Grow the counseling function
considering the 44% increase
considering constraints
with bilingual licensed
of neighbors served in 2021.
of space and available days
professional counselors
to serve.
to care for the increasing
• Keep our weekly focus on meeting North Texas Food
• Leverage and improve
Bank “gold standard” of
current processes and
food pounds prepared and
procedures to scale to a
served to our neighbors
potential new space to be
within defined processess
secured for Joseph’s Coat.
number of neighbors accessing Project Hope services. • Create a case manager role within Project Hope which
and procedures that keep
will allow a resource to be
safety first.
dedicated to serving the neighbor separate from providing counseling.
STATE OF THE STOREHOUSE 2022
Introducing: Storehouse Academy In 2022, we will launch Storehouse Academy as our fourth program, keeping with our mission to care as neighbors in one community and create long-term transformation. The purpose of the Academy will be to provide neighbors with opportunities for skill development.
Language Skills
Life Skills
Job Skills
Course offerings through Storehouse Academy and other external education providers will focus on the development of language skills, life skills, and job skills for those enrolled. Based on the results of our 2021 neighbor assessments, our immediate priorities at launch will be to provide language classes through the Academy and build relationships with local colleges and various trade schools.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: • Volunteer: Sign up today to volunteer. Invite a friend or family member to join you. • Follow: Follow us on social media or subscribe to our email newsletter • Donate: Look for opportunities to give financially or through in-kind giving. • Share: Send this digital magazine to someone who might be interested in joining our mission to transform lives.
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The Storehouse of Collin County 1401 Mira Vista Blvd., Plano, Texas 75093 www.thestorehousecc.org | info@thestorehousecc.org | 469.385.1813 @thestorehousecc