Tarrant County’s CU wraps up 2018 with community acts of giving

Tarrant County's Credit Union (TCCU) staff members devoted the last few weeks of 2018 to volunteering and prepping and gathering items to give back to those in the Tarrant County community that are facing life challenges this holiday season.

One evening in early December, staff volunteered to feed an evening meal to families at The WARM Place, a grief support center for children and teens located in Fort Worth.

As they have for many years, staff donated money via payroll deduction to adopt a local family from the Salvation Army Angel Tree. This year the staff was able to provide Christmas “wants and needs” for a family of 13.

The final staff meeting of the year always includes making peanut butter sandwiches for the Presbyterian Night Shelter. The Presbyterian Night Shelter is the largest provider of services to the county’s homeless, which takes in approximately 700 people each night. TCCU’s proud sandwich-making holiday tradition began more than 12 years ago. This year, TCCU, along with help from staff of Fort Worth City Credit Union and Texas People Credit Union, was able to provide more than 650 sandwiches, all of which were bagged and topped off with a candy cane for a bit of holiday cheer for the recipients.

“The sandwiches are available to all who may not get a meal otherwise,” said TCCU VP of Operations Shelli McCoy. “The shelter provides meals every day, but if they run out of prepared meals, the sandwiches are distributed as supplements.”

In addition, TCCU staff and members and Alcon Credit Union staff and members collected and donated toiletries, new socks, and blankets for those who seek shelter and comfort at the Presbyterian Night Shelter. After a final tally, more than 150 blankets were donated the week leading up to the holidays.

“Presbyterian Night Shelter is so grateful to Tarrant County’s Credit Union for remembering our most vulnerable neighbors at the holidays,” said Presbyterian Night Shelter VP of Development Pamela Daubert. "Their donations of sandwiches, toiletries, and blankets go a long way toward making life more comfortable for our clients."

In another TCCU initiative, money was collected all year long through bake sales, member donations, raffles, and staff contributions to purchase coats for children who are clients of the Alliance for Children, the only Tarrant County nonprofit involved directly in protecting children from child abuse. TCCU was able to deliver more than 100 new coats for distribution at the AFC Christmas Store event and party held last week.

Year after year, TCCU participates in local service projects with the end goal of making a positive impact on the community and, by doing so, strives to convey the credit union philosophy in every endeavor.

For more information about how TCCU gives back, or if you would like to work with TCCU on a project, you may contact Andrea Spencer at aspencer@tccu-tx.com or visit TCCU’s website at tccu-tx.com.

Tarrant County's Credit Union is an $87 million credit union serving over 11,000 members throughout Tarrant County, Texas. TCCU operates four branches located in Fort Worth, Hurst, Lake Worth, and Arlington.