Every year, The Storehouse Community Center, formerly known as The Storehouse of Collin County, names a Volunteer of the Year, an honor given to one of the nonprofit’s 2,000 volunteers who go above and beyond.
This year’s awardee is Joan Smith, who has volunteered 1,613.75 hours since 2016. Earlier this week, she was invited to throw out the first pitch at a Frisco RoughRiders game.
“I am so honored to be named The Storehouse Volunteer of the Year,” Smith said. “When you volunteer for something that you are already getting so much from, it feels strange to get an award for it! I love working with an organization that exactly aligns with the way I believe and how I want to help people when I volunteer.”
According to a press release, Smith began volunteering with The Storehouse in the Seven Loaves Food Pantry, where she met one-on-one with neighbors arriving for food, before volunteering with Joseph’s Coat Clothing Closet and becoming dean of registration for The Storehouse’s Academy Education program.
“As dean of registration for The Academy, I volunteer an average of 10 hours a week inputting information into a software program about the various classes and students in The Academy,” she said. “I also volunteer about four to five hours most weeks in Seven Loaves, where I enjoy working alongside other volunteers, greeting neighbors, and taking food carts to their vehicles.”
Over the past near-decade, Smith has also seen The Storehouse grow immensely, including the addition of The Academy programs.
“We are all working together to get to know our neighbors, find out their needs, and direct them to all of the ways we can help them,” continued Smith. “And with The Academy, that relationship grows even deeper as they come to classes regularly and have that one-on-one time with the staff and volunteers.”
Smith is also a volunteer at the Women’s Auxiliary of Children’s Medical Center Plano and the Hendrick Scholarship Foundation.
“The Volunteer of the Year is our highest honor, awarded to one individual whose dedication, consistency, and impact exemplify the spirit of service in our community,” said Candace Winslow, CEO of The Storehouse Community Center. “Joan Smith has been a beloved volunteer across multiple areas of our mission at The Storehouse for many years and is so deserving of this honor. We cannot begin to thank her enough for her extraordinary service and dedication, helping so many of our neighbors on their pathways to self-sufficiency.”
Those wishing to volunteer can find more information online.
