This is a nonprofit that absolutely deserves to be top rated. Members of the community turn to VISTO not only for assistance with food, but for financial assistance and counseling. Clients have access to free life skills classes, private mentoring, referral to resources, and more. My vote goes to VISTO every time!
I love that we have this Organization that is able to help the community as well as the school with food and other things as well and the staff is very friendly.
I have been on the board for VISTO for a year and over that time I have seen the valuable services it offers to the residents of Cooke County. Even when the landscape of need has changed (especially during the pandemic) the staff and director were able to re-focus energies to ensure clients were served and even to expand into the local school districts to meet the needs of students. Quality and excellent service are major points that the staff and volunteers strive to provide.
VISTO IS SUCH A GREAT BLESSING TO THE RESIDENTS IN COOKE COUNTY! The needs of the very old to the very young, and all those in between, are helped by VISTO food pantry, education classes, financial help through hard times, weekend food for our school children, and the list goes on! VISTO is one of the greatest nonprofits worthy of this honor!
The experience I have had with this organization has been nothing but positive. The staff works hard to treat every person who walks through the doors with respect. It is a pleasant environment and the they do so much more thank just give food to those in need. They also help with housing, transportation, financial assistance, offer education classes, and referrals to other resources in the community.
I was homeless in my car that was a blessing. I was in need of food and Visto help me out with food I could eat in my car after 6 mo. in my car I got into low income housing here in Valley View Thank you I still come to Visto to get food and Visto is still a blessing to me I able to bring two other ladys from my apartments that have need of food also God blessing just keep on going and going thank you
I serve on the Board of Directors of this non-profit agency and am constantly amazed at the many facets of VISTO. To say it is a food bank is true, but VISTO is so much more. Emergency assistance and nutrition provider to the children who are at risk of hunger in Cooke County (Backpack Buddy) are two very important programs under the VISTO umbrella. VISTO is a community partner with almost every agency with whom they share a common need. VISTO's innovative approach to fundraising is unmatched in Cooke County and is enhanced by its dedicated and resourceful board and talented, caring staff.
This charity does so much good in Cooke County Texas! The leadership is awesome to make sure the people getting help are really the ones who need help! VISTO prides itself in being good stewards of the funds given to be used to help old and young in need!
I have been active with V.I.S.T.O. (Volunteers In Service To Others), for the past seven years. During that time I have witnessed how this organization has been in service to others. One of many incidents I remember was when a grandfather had just been given custody of his grandchildren and needed to buy clothes and school supplies for the start of a new school year. After covering all the needed expenses a new school year brings, he realized his pay check would not stretch to cover a utility bill. V.I.S.T.O. stepped in to help that grandfather with that bill as well as helping him with other issues as well. This is just one of many ways V.I.S.T.O. has helped those in our community with a needed a hand up instead of a hand-out.
VISTO is a great asset to Cooke County and is so much more than just a food pantry. Financial assistance is provided for rent, utilities and prescriptions. Window units are provided in the summer and heaters in the winter. Thanks to VISTO and its volunteers the Backpack Buddy program is ongoing. VISTO Pathways provides classes for clients to improve their lives. Life coaches are available to help clients set and reach goals. These are just some of the things VISTO does for the community.
VISTO is the place people can turn to in their time of need and know they will be treated with kindness and respect.
I have worked for Visto in the past and got to see up close the fulfillment that this organization gives to needy families. They've helped with not only food to feed their children but helped them pay bills such as Utilities and much needed prescriptions. They've also helped with Cooling units in the summertime and Heating in the Winter Months. When the kids were school ages, they received food from Visto during the school year and when summer came, Visto reached out and helped their families receive extra food to feed them while they were out of school and home for summertime. A great organization for animals too. When it became available on occasion, they were provided with food for Cats and Dogs also.
This is a great organization. I have been associated with VISTO for about fifteen to twenty years. First by supporting it financially, then by volunteering for the last six years. it meets not only the food needs of the people who need it, but helps financially with emergency bills and transportation needs. It also provides training for many areas of life such as finance management, nutrition, cooking skills, job hunting and others. it also provides a Bible study weekly for spiritual guidance and encouragement. The staff are very hard working caring people that I enjoy associating with weekly.
I chose to volunteer with VISTO because of the wide variety of assistance offered to the community. The staff is extremely caring, helpful, and knowledgeable when working with clients. People who come into the VISTO office are treated with respect and dignity. In addition to the food pantry and financial assistance, their calendar is filled with free classes offered to the community such as Bible Study, Nutrition, Relationship Repair, Basic First Aid, and Women's Support. I love their mission of breaking the cycle of poverty.
In my opinion, VISTO should be viewed as the gold standard for nonprofits! Not only do they provide an excellent food pantry that provides food for 1800+ families per month, they also send backpacks full of food home with school children who are in need of meals for the weekend. This is an organization full of staff and volunteers who are friendly and caring. Every client is treated individually and with respect. There is even an educational branch offering life skills classes in cooking economical meals, budgeting, relationship building, and more. Residents of Cooke County are fortunate to have VISTO reaching out to families and individuals in need!
VISTO is truly an asset to the Cooke County community. They provide services to those in the community that find themselves in rough spots and lift the people they serve up and help them find a way to get back on their feet.
They do all this without taking one penny from the government. The staff could not provide the services to the community without a true servants heart and the support and sacrifices of their own families.
We are proud to support this organization and look forward to helping them continue to give the community a hand up.
This nonprofit organization is so much more than a food pantry. Although they feed almost 1,800 individuals per month, that's not all they do. VISTO also provides financial assistance to those who are needing help paying bills or who might need help with emergency prescriptions or even gas to get to a medical appointment or job interview. They also refer to other resources in the community and offer lots of classes to encourage self-sufficiency. The staff does all this with a happy heart and a smile on their faces !
I have heard many stories of how VISTO has helped the members of the community and of the great projects that they do. I would gladly recommend them to anyone that needed help. Keep up the great work!
I have been in volenved with VISTO since 2005 I have observed our Director filliong many different hats and alwys putting the clients first in her helping hands and in her prayers. Our community is very lucky to have such devoted and caring people that really go the last mile to get help where and when help is needed. I really enjoy the few hours a week I get to help VISTO with what ever they need me to do.
I have been involved with VISTO since June and have found the organization totally devoted to helping feed the community and do what they can to help families and individuals in ways they can. I have helped them towards their goals; "No one left behind". I will stay with them as long as I can and whenever I can. I've asked and encouraged others to help any way they can. Please doe whatever you can to help this organization.
VISTO fulfills their mission statement and has an excellent staff. The executive director of this organization will go the extra mile to provide assistance to anyone in need meeting their criteria. These are civic minded leaders who network across our county with other non-profits and organizations. They are professional and compassionate people who give freely above and beyond the call of duty and ministry. They make the most of their budget and fundraising efforts to pass the benefit onto their clients. They work hard to meet the challenge of crisis situations and a difficult economy. This staff looks at the whole situation in a client's life and will do their best to refer to other organizations and share resources or make connections to improve services other charities provide. Cooke County is very fortunate to blessed with VISTO and it is an exceptional organization in which to volunteer and know that you have spent your time most productively to make a difference in the lives of others. They have a wonderful education program as well.
I have volunteered for VISTO for several years by donating food or coordinating food drives.I have known of several students that have received help. They have all been very complimentary of VISTO and the employees. What a great service VISTO provides our community!
It is so amazing to see VISTO in action. I help deliver backpacks filled with food for needy children in this area. Without this program some of these children will not have food for meals on the weekends. To see their faces shine when they receive the backpack is so amazing! Thanks VISTO for all you do!
Abigail's Arms - Cooke County Family Crisis Center is the local non-profit victims assistance center for Cooke County. We currently do not have a emergency shelter for victims in our county. On many occasions we have clients who are in need of food and emergency shelter. We know that if we call VISTO that they are ready and willing assist our clients with their needs. VISTO has given countless victims in Cooke County food and other assistance. They have also provided emergency motel shelter for victims on many occasions throughout the year. Recently our agencies partnered to begin the Pathways Project, designed to break the cycle of poverty and abuse. We appreciate VISTO's willingness to attack the problems from the root, not just the crisis.
I am gifted with the opportunity to serve on the VISTO board, which is one of my favorite highlights of ministering in Cooke County. VISTO is clearly the most influential mission center for our city and outlying areas. As a Christian minister, I consider VISTO a strong ally in the ministry and mission of the ecumenical church in Gainesville, and gladly put my trust in VISTO when we refer folks in need to them, and when we send resources. VISTO is effective and efficient at fulfilling its mission, and deserves all the support it can get in order to keep up with the needs of our community. Volunteers, food donations, financial gifts, prayers…that’s the fuel VISTO needs to better serve “the least of these among us.”
without Visto in cooke county their would be so many children,senior citizens,and families hungry and no way to pay their rent.Thank you Visto director and staff for the passion you have for helping others. The backpack buddy program in making sure kids eat over the weekend.Pathway reaching into others lives trying to make a differance,showing them options and plans.
Visto plays a very important role in our community and is always looking for ways to help even more. Our director steps outside the box and looks in, she is very efficient in seeing new needs and pulling it together. Visto not only serves family food to cook, they also help in emergency cases with utilities or rent, they have the BackPack Buddy Program for school children who would be without food on the weekend. The Visto program has partnered with Abigail's Arms, local domestic violence program and started a program, Pathways. Volunteers take course work and work with individual families for 5 months, to help them with self enpowerment, self improvement. This will help stablize a family as a nucleus and not be dysfunctional as they will learn new tools to help them achieve this goal. There are so many ways to volunteer for visto, there is a spot for any individual and as the Director has shown over the last several yeaars, there are many more to come. Visto is not just a name in Gainsville, Texas, it is Life and service to others and this community is very blessed as times have become harder and Visto has become stronger.
Visto has always been gracious and helpful in so many areas of our community. The director is always willing to help people to better themselves. She is a very selfless person who is careing and giving in all aspects of her personal and professional life. Visto is a great asset to our community with countless programs that benefit the young and old.
As a minister in Gainesville for the past 7+ years, I am in regular contact with members of the congregation and members of the community who are in need. VISTO has always been a reliable and trusted partner in serving those needs. The staff always treats their supporters, volunteers and clients with the same degree of professionalism and respect. The staff also consistently impress me with their ability to maximize every donation received, whether food, money or time. Nothing is wasted. Also, they are constantly searching for new and different ways to improve their service as well as the lives of the people and the community they serve. It is an honor and a privilege to partner with an organization like VISTO.
I live in a great town. It has problems like other town but it has a heart that is beautiful. In no other town would they had a backpack program to feed our school children over the weekend. Our VISTO has wonderful events to help fund this and other programs for VISTO.
VISTO has always been there to support our local Veterans who may be in need. We need them, the Veterans need them, the homeless need them. ENUF Said!!!! Way to go VISTO!!!
I have worked very closely with this agency for years. I refer customers to this agency on a weekly basis, with the downturn of the economy I'm finding myself referring much more often. I know the customers needs will be taken care of when I refer to this agency. They provide a great service to our community.
I also work for a non profit agency and i have needed to refer people to VISTO on numerous occasions and they have always done what they could to help. I've needed to just obtain information and they are always willing to help. The care for our society shows through the people who work for VISTO. We are lucky to have them!!
I have volunteered at VISTO for a few years now. I enjoy coming into the office and helping those in need with some basic essentials like food. Their look of gratitude says it all for me! What hope VISTO gives to the hurting heart and hungry stomachs! (And more.) I have worked in the non-profit world for several years. I know that VISTO has sound financial practices and excellent policies and procedures. You could not ask for a better group of caring staff! I especially like the Backpack Buddy Program which helps provide food for the weekend for school age participants and their siblings. These nutritional snacks are often the only source of nutrition these kids have over the weekend. This little act of kindness makes a big difference to many families and also helps the kids do better in school. Pigs for Jesus is another favorite of mine because it takes locally raised pigs and distributes the meat to many different families in this area. It is true evidence that a little goes a long way! I could go on and on bragging about VISTO. But I encourage you to come in for yourself and help stop hunger!
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Cooke County have the privilege to work with VISTO. This summer we worked with them to be sure none of our kids went hungry. The backpack program works great for our kids. Not only through that program do we work with VISTO but for the daily needs of our parents. Many of our parents need assistance keeping their family feed and warm. VISTO helps the parents help themselves. It is great to have an organization dedicated to stopping hunger in our community.