The goods and services charity organization on North Waddill Street has seen no shortage of volunteers throughout the pandemic, according to Micheletto. From 2020 to 2021, the nonprofit had nearly the same number of volunteers, but increased food distribution throughout McKinney by more than 30% due to nearly 500 more volunteer hours contributed.
Throughout McKinney and Collin County, the growth in the region is bringing not only more people who need services but also those who can volunteer their time and money to help, nonprofit experts said. However, not all nonprofits in the city have seen strong volunteer reception in recent months.
Micheletto said the rise in productivity at her charity is thanks to a robust volunteer base in the city.
“We have had a tremendous amount of organizations and individuals reach out to us on a regular basis. ... Being a food pantry, they could see that we would definitely need help,” Micheletto said. “I think the community of McKinney is a very giving community.”
Adapting services
In early 2020, Community Lifeline Center created a grocery takeout program due to COVID-19 restricting the ability to safely gather inside buildings, Micheletto said.
To-go sacks of supplies for smaller families and boxes for larger families are given to clients at the front door of Community Lifeline Center. Outside food distributions every weekend are a “safer” way to give to residents in need during the pandemic, Micheletto said.
Prior to the takeout program, Community Lifeline Center let clients enter the building and browse the food and supply pantry. Micheletto said changes to the nonprofit’s charity model have kept the organization’s volunteer base steady and have also expanded its reach.
“We’ve increased our volume [of] distributing food and helping people,” she said. “We haven’t seen any problems in volunteering.”
Court Appointed Special Advocates of Collin County also made adjustments because of the pandemic.
CASA celebrated its 30th anniversary of helping survivors of child abuse or neglect navigate the legal system by holding an in-person gala in October that was attended by about 350 people. Executive Director Tricia Clifton said that was a very different event from the virtual 2020 gala.
“Sponsorships and [funds raised] went directly back to our program because our expenses were decreased tremendously because we didn’t have an in-person event,” she said.
Clifton said CASA switched much of its training and volunteer opportunities to online, which helped keep the agency from losing any of its volunteer advocates.
“We knew that it was incredibly important to make sure that we still maintained a big enough volunteer pool that we were able to continue serving 100% of the children that come into the foster care system in Collin County,” Clifton said.
Meals on Wheels Collin County has had a different experience recruiting volunteers.
Marketing and Communications Manager Monique Gutierrez said the organization is urgently seeking volunteer drivers to deliver meals in the more rural areas of the county, such as Princeton, Farmersville and Wylie.
Gutierrez added that every staff member is also cross-trained on meal delivery to ensure timely service.
“It is imperative that our meals go out to our seniors,” Gutierrez said. “For some, this is the only nutrition and interaction that they receive, so this is one way we can ensure meals are delivered.”
A positive correlation
Christine Ortega, executive director of Volunteer McKinney, works with more than 200 nonprofits throughout the region matching volunteers with specific needs of nonprofits.
Ortega said a rising population in McKinney and the Dallas-Fort Worth region is contributing to a higher number of volunteers. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population in McKinney is 195,308, which is a nearly 50% increase from 2010.
“With growing needs come volunteers,” Ortega said. “I think it’s a natural progression just based off of people moving here.”
Services offered by nonprofits are expanding in line with population growth, according to Ortega. For instance, Ortega said she expects warming shelters throughout the region to “double or triple” in number because of a higher number of people in need.
“We’re still navigating these uncharted waters in a lot of ways, but I think that from what I’ve seen, most organizations are expanding their services,” Ortega said.
Due to the growth in the region, those behind North Texas Giving Day are optimistic it can continue to grow in the years to come, Director of Community Engagement Chris McSwain said.
The online event is organized by the Communities Foundation of Texas. It has grown its pledged donation total each year since it began in 2009, McSwain said.
“[North Texas Giving Day] really was developed to be a tool for our donors to have a database to find nonprofits,” she said. “We had no idea back then that it would grow into a movement.”
The 13th annual North Texas Giving Day last September raised about $66 million, and nearly 23,000 volunteers signed up to help area nonprofits.
“[2020] was tough, but 2021 has presented a new kind of tough,” she said. “There are a lot of groups who are ... getting smart and innovative with the way that they’re telling their true, authentic stories about what they need, and people are responding.”
A new resource
Residents of McKinney and surrounding areas will soon be able to “dine with dignity” for free with no questions asked.
Community Garden Kitchen, the nearly 4,800-square-foot facility at 501 Howard St., has been about six years in the making, board member Cindy Solomon said. She said she expects the new soup kitchen to open by March, with a goal to serve as many as 200 guests a night.
The new facility will be entirely run by volunteers, with the only paid contributor being the chef, Solomon said. As the board has recruited individuals, she said volunteers have been readily available.
Solomon also expects that more volunteers—namely seniors—will pitch in if COVID-19 transmission in the area begins to significantly wane.
“I would say that it’s been relatively easy [finding volunteers],” Solomon said. “COVID[-19] has definitely had an impact because, as you would expect, there are a lot of retirees that want to help.”
Volunteer McKinney has seen similar responsiveness in nonprofits it coordinates with, according to Ortega. In 2021, the number of responses to nonprofit needs from volunteers exceeded pre-pandemic numbers in 2019, according to Volunteer McKinney data.
“I think you either have those dedicated volunteers who are going to be stepping up in bigger ways for you because they see the need and they want to help,” Ortega said.
Word of mouth will have a significant effect on the volunteer base, Solomon believes.
Solomon and her husband were recently shopping at a WinCo grocery store in McKinney when they asked an employee what the store does with unsold products. When they shared plans about Community Garden Kitchen, Solomon said the employee asked how she could get involved.
“Once somebody comes up and serves, and is able to relay that experience to their friends and neighbors, I think that we will have more people that will be volunteering to come,” Solomon said. “You’ll start to talk about this with people, and they’ll say ‘Where do I sign up?’”
