Friends of the Family asking for donations to feed 350 families for Thanksgiving
By Tony Howerton For the Denton Record-Chronicle
Denton County Friends of the Family again will be hosting its annual Thanksgiving Drive for the area, with plans to put together and donate meal kits for 350 families this year.
The nonprofit organization, which provides support and services to families and people impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault and rape, has been active for over 40 years. Friends of the Family started in 1980 with a single 900-square-foot shelter, two employees and a team of 32 volunteers and has grown to a team of 70 employees and over 600 yearly volunteers, with a 4,400-square-foot shelter. The organization has been running the annual Thanksgiving Drive for over 20 years.
Stephanie Honeycutt, the community resource director* for DCFTOF, notes that this is a particularly difficult time for clients.
“Maybe they rely on their significant others for financial support,” Honeycutt said. “Maybe the abuser took financial power over their spouse. We want to help them alleviate the financial burden of having to purchase groceries for Thanksgiving, and make sure the families are fed.”
The organization also encourages donors to bring items that can last past Thanksgiving.
“Our clients are normally already financially impacted, but they’re even more severely impacted now because of the pandemic,” Honeycutt said. “We’re relying on our amazing community to donate these items, and our biggest needs are the nonperishable food items and the gift cards.“
Friends of the Family asks volunteers to donate reusable grocery bags and assemble meal kits for the drive with nonperishable items. These items include boxed mashed potatoes, gravy packets, stuffing, cornbread mix, canned veggies, pie filling, pie crusts, rice, beans, mac and cheese, and peanut butter and jelly. Additionally, the organization asks volunteers and donors to donate $20 gift cards for local grocery stores to supply families with a turkey or a ham for Thanksgiving, as the organization does not have storage capacity for them.
The deadline to drop off items for the drive is Friday, Nov. 12, at 5 p.m. The address to deliver the items and finished kits is 4845 S. Interstate-35 E. in Corinth. Additional information and contact info can be found at the organization’s website at dcfof.org/thanksgiving.
Our annual Thanksgiving drive is here and it is the perfect way to get into the giving spirit. You and your family, organization, or business can donate non-perishable food items for our Thanksgiving Meal Drive to a family in need. We are working to put together meals for 350+ families this year!
The holidays can be a very difficult time for our clients, especially this year, as many families may be still feeling the effects of the pandemic, while simultaneously experiencing the impacts of domestic violence and sexual assault. It is important for us to not only be able to empower our clients so that they may have a memorable holiday with their family, but also to make sure that they have full bellies.
We’ve already begun collecting canned goods and non-perishable food items for Thanksgiving drive, as well as $20 gift cards and reusable shopping bags, but we need your help! Meal kits are assembled with the help of our amazing volunteers and include non-perishable food items such as:
boxed mashed potatoes,
gravy packets, stuffing,
cornbread mix,
canned veggies,
pie filling,
pie crusts, rice,
beans,
mac and cheese,
and peanut butter and jelly.
Since we are unable to provide perishable items such as fresh veggies or a main-course protein, we collect $20 gift cards to allow the families a choice in the type of protein they provide for their families on Thanksgiving.
Join us as we make sure every family has food on their table this Thanksgiving by registering to donate at dcfof.org/thanksgiving or shop online and ship items to us directly through our Amazon Wishlist here.
Summer may have just started for your kids, which means the next school year is far from your mind. But here at Denton County Friends of the Family we are half way through our annual Back to School Drive thanks to our community partners like you!
Join us, as we work to fill over 300 backpacks with necessary school supplies so that our clients' kiddos have the tools they need for a successful 2021-2022 school year!
Following last years’ success, we are again asking donors to pre-fill backpacks with supplies before drop-off on July 30th. This allows our staff and volunteers to dedicate more time to clients as they prepare for the new school year.
Help us support children impacted by sexual and domestic violence by bringing donated items to our Outreach Office in Corinth or by dropping off at one of our community partners, Denton County Brewing Company off of McKinney in Denton.
If you do not have time to shop in person, but would like to support the drive, you can donate monetarily and we will do the shopping for you! You can also order items from home online at Amazon and have them shipped directly to our office. We kindly request all donations to be made by Friday, July 30th to have ample amount of time to organize and pack the supplies for our clients.
Thank you to all of our past and current donors for your dedication to education and our clients. We could not do this work without the amazing support of community members like you.
For more information on donating or if you would like to volunteer, visit us at dcfof.org/backtoschool.
Like most identities, fatherhood is rich with complexity. There are SO many ways to be a father and SO many different types of people who are fathers, but there remains a core action that’s consistent across the multitudes: fostering safety.
However, in 2020 alone, 185 people (mostly women) were murdered by their intimate partners (KERA News, 2020). One in three women, and one in four men, have lived through either rape, physical violence, or stalking from an intimate partner. How do you create a sense of safety when these numbers are so high?
You show up.
Whether your child is a teenager navigating young love, or your child is an adult juggling school, work, and family, it’s imperative to be there. To listen and to ask questions. To build healthy relationships around you, that your child can use as a reference. And to spread awareness of intimate partner violence in your community.
This month at DCFOF, we’ve created a campaign that asks you to give a D.A.M.N. It’s the perfect way to show up for your loved one by Donating, Advocating, Mentoring, and Nurturing. You can contribute by donating individually or fundraising as a team with your local community. Your donation goes to ensuring that we can continue the fight to eradicate intimate partner violence, so you can go back to making dad jokes.
Winter Storm Uri has altered the lives of so many within our community and has largely affected survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. The financial impact of not being able to work for several days due to snow and freezing temperatures has created an additional obstacle for our clients who are already facing many hardships. Many have been left with mounting bills, increased utility bills, home repairs due to storm damage and some have completely been displaced from their home. Simply put, many of our clients are in need of clean water, basic necessities and financial assistance.
Denton County Friends of the Family has been working non-stop pre and post Winter Storm Uri by answering calls and texts on the 24-hour crisis line, gathering resources to make sure our clients immediate needs are met, but we still need your help!
We have heard the call from our amazing community asking “How can we help?”. For those looking to support our clients, here are the ways you can help.
Monetary donations to help with utility bills and other bills
Bottled water
Grocery gift cards (Kroger, Walmart, or Target)
Gas gift cards or Uber gift cards
Non-perishable food items (items that require little water to make the meal)
Diapers and wipes (diapers in sizes 4 – 6 are most needed)
You can drop off items here: Upscale Resale | 920 Dallas Dr. | Denton, TX 76205 | Monday – Saturday 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Thank you to our supporters who have helped us during these unprecedented times, and a special thank you to the donors and Denton Grassroots Water Crew for donating 80 cases of water for our clients.
Grab your fine china or your finest paper plates because Denton County Friends of the Family is hosting a 40th Anniversary Virtual Gala and EVERYONE has a seat at the table! Our 40th Anniversary Virtual Gala takes place on Thursday, October 8th from 6:30 PM to 8 PM. You can decorate your table however you like and join us for an evening of celebration as we look back on the last 40 years and look forward to the future.
You don’t want to miss our Early Bird tickets, which has been extended until this Friday, September 11th, 2020. Be the head of your community table and purchase your meal tickets TODAY!
This Virtual Event, will feature a special guest, Dale Hansen, familiar faces from over the years, and you will be treated to the musical stylings of Lorrie's Joy.
Witness first-hand the life changing impact on clients made possible by supporters like you. Sponsors are an integral part of this event, and enable us to raise the most funds possible that go right back into our programs. Every penny counts! To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, click the button below.
Our Silent Auction will be open to the public, beginning Monday, October 5th and ending Friday October 9th at 11:59 PM (CST), so get your wallets ready, you won’t want to miss out on the amazing items we have lined up!
You will want to make sure and finish your dessert because at the end of our virtual event we will have a groundbreaking announcement that you don't want to miss!
We can’t wait to see you virtually on October 8th as we celebrate 40 years of service here in Denton County.
