My Nonprofit Reviews

Irving cares and my family go way back. As a Boy Scout and Girl Scout leader, our troops joined in canned food drives and adopted families through Irving Cares’ Christmas program. The scouts gained an appreciation for those who don’t have as much as they did. Fast forward to 2009, I began as a food pantry volunteer and since 2018, I’ve served on the board. The scope of what we do at Irving Cares has grown- we don’t just provide food but also financial assistance and employment opportunities for our clients. We are the primary social services agency for residents of Irving.

Starting with my Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops in the mid '90s until today, I'm a longtime supporter of Irving Cares. Back in the day, our troops "adopted" families for the holidays through Irving Cares who worked with the school district to identify families in need. The parents came up with a list of gifts - both needs and wants - and the troops delivered them. The impact this made on our elementary school scouts, particularly my own kids, left an everlasting memory. In the years since I have worked with Irving Cares as a volunteer in the food pantry, assisted in case management and become a board member. Irving Cares is the go-to agency for Irving residents looking for a hand up, not just a handout.

Our family has always enjoyed volunteering with Irving Cares. As Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, my kids loved the adopt a family program in which we received a wish list from families who didn't have the. means to buy Christmas gifts. Our scout troops and their families got to purchase the items and would deliver to the families before Christmas Day, along with a holiday meal. It was a good way for our kids to learn how to give at an early age and to realize how fortunate they are. There but for the grace of God, go all of us...

I'm an 11-year volunteer and 2-year board member at Irving Cares. It's amazing how this non-profit that began in 1957 was able to pivot in March to deal with the COVID crisis. Instead of relying on its many 65+ age volunteers, the organization turned to its small staff to meet client needs. Keeping 6-feet apart and wearing masks, a staffer met briefly with clients and then sent a ticket with the number of family members to the pantry. Here, another staffer packed the sanitized cart and rolled out the cart to the client. We've been doing this for six months now and it has worked seamlessly. Volunteers are slowly returning, but as a board member and volunteer myself, I've been impressed with the efficiency and compassion the staff has shown to its clientele while at the same time keeping up with their jobs.

Irving Cares lives up to its name. The agency truly does care about Irving. Founded in 1957 by Irving residents following a devastating tornado, the organization began as an all-volunteer entity. Today it is comprised of a 13-member staff assisted by 463 volunteers. It is a three-pronged organization consisting of the Emergency Assistance Program (EAP), the Employment Services Program (ESP) and the Patient Transportation Program (PTP). The largest component is EAP which includes the food pantry. Currently, Irving Cares provides food to about 50 families PER DAY! The food pantry is staffed entirely by volunteers who fill the food orders, meet with clients, and help with pickups and deliveries of food. The Employment Services Program helps families get back on their feet after the loss of a job. And the Patient Transportation Program allows chronically ill residents without transportation to keep their medical appointments.

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Working as a volunteer case manager as well as filling orders from the food pantry puts my own life in perspective. My family's worries seem trivial compared to the single mom who is looking for a job while caring for her teenage daughter and the daughter's new baby. You realize what a difference an organization such as Irving Cares makes in the lives of our clients. Irving Cares puts food on their table so that they can get by another week with a paycheck that may have been cut. IC also provides rent or utility assistance enabling a family to spend money on a needed car repair so they can get to work. In a community such as Irving where there is a high level of low income families, it is crucial that social service agencies respond to such basic needs. As our motto states, we are not a handout but a hand up. And clients do appreciate it. It is a rare day when one of them doesn't thank us for what we are doing.

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My involvement with Irving Cares started more than 15 years ago when my son was in Cub Scouts in Irving, Texas. We participated in the annual Scouting for Food program. Our fledgling den, based at our local elementary school, brought in a substantial number of cans collected throughout the neighborhood. Our cub scouts and later my daughter's girl scout troop adopted families through Irving Cares. Seeing the reactions of the adopted kids when we delivered the requested items made a huge impression on our kids. Now my kids are grown and I am a weekly volunteer in the Irving Cares food pantry. Like my scouts before me, being able to help these families in need is what it's all about and makes us all count our blessings.

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