Mission:
To provide for the basic human needs of all people in our community in a welcoming, respectful and caring way.
Values and Commitment Statement:
As a community nonprofit that provides basic needs, The Caring Place recognizes that racism and socioeconomic disparity exists in our nation and in our community, and we will work to eradicate both. We are committed to: welcoming and serving all neighbors in a caring way; listening to and engaging with our neighbors to make improvements; and, better reflecting the diversity of our community in our leadership and workforce. We value every individual and believe that treating all people with dignity, respect, warmth and kindness affirms both our humanity and theirs. In the wisdom of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” The Caring Place continues to strive to live up to its name, and fulfill its mission to provide for the basic human needs of all people in our community in a welcoming, respectful and caring way.
Vision:
To be the leader in stewardship and service in Texas.
History:
The economy had gone bust. Many people were laid off and having trouble paying their rent and utility bills. Neighbors were hungry. So it’s 2025? No, it’s 1985 in Georgetown, Texas. Back then, families were going from church to church seeking help with rent, clothing, and food. Today, people from northern Williamson County can go to one place – The Caring Place – for emergency assistance.
Although many leaders and volunteers made The Caring Place a reality, it was two women from the community who started it all. Yoli Branson, a volunteer with St. Vincent de Paul, and Marty Maxwell, an outreach worker at Madella Hilliard Neighborhood Center, had a vision. They asked the Georgetown Ministerial Alliance - 11 Georgetown church pastors at the time - to help create a single place where people could go for emergency assistance with basic needs.
Yoli Branson
Rev. Tim Antwerp from Christ Lutheran and Rev. David Duncan of First Presbyterian organized the churches to realize the first Caring Place. They formed the first board of directors made up of a lay volunteer from each member church and additional community leaders like Charles Steger (board president), Norm Peters (board vice-president), Howard Burt, William Hoeflein (treasurer), and Sue Meadows. Doris Krohmer, also an original board member, shared, “My pastor at First Presbyterian invited me to that first organizational meeting. You had all these ministers at the end of their rope. They were broke…. Many people had lost their jobs, especially people in construction; they were really suffering. There was no coordinated effort to help. Welfare was weeks behind. The ministers were desperate because there were no resources available. They realized that if they pulled together, they would be able to do far more than they could individually.”
Former Georgetown Mayor Carl Doering donated the first building, an old slaughter house on 8th Street. Although cleaning was a challenge, and there was no heat or air conditioning, the founding team was very excited to have the space. The Caring Place opened for business on June 8, 1985 with a handful of volunteers, three bags of donated clothes, and $17 in donations. Those initially involved successfully set about recruiting volunteers from various churches and civic organizations. It was formally incorporated as a nonprofit organization (501(c)3) in 1986.
The Caring Place has grown to meet the needs of the community, although not without enduring some tough economic times. By 1986, the growing organization moved to space donated by Jeanne Mosier in the Industrial Park North. In 1990, The Caring Place opened a larger facility at 2001 Railroad Avenue, allowing the thrift store to become a significant source of income. The Caring Place outgrew that facility, and although the current building at 2000 Railroad was built in 2004, it was enlarged the very next year. By 2011, The Caring Place was again bursting at the seams, and the community helped it expand to help more families. In 2012, the Board of Directors had an opportunity to purchase its former space at 2001 Railroad, which ultimately housed its Programs & Services.
Over the last ten years, The Caring Place has continued to grow to help more neighbors. In 2017, The Caring Place opened an additional thrift store on Williams Drive, Second Helping. In 2021, the organization expanded its food pantry, food pantry warehouse, thrift store, and pricing warehouse by remodeling the existing footprint at 2000 Railroad. Then in 2024, the organization broke all existing records in the number of neighbors served. Thanks to a generous bequest, The Caring Place leveled and enclosed its exterior warehouse, adding 5,000+ space to the building to meet its current and future needs.
The Caring Place continues to fulfill the mission for which it was created back in 1985 – to provide for the basic human needs of all people in a welcoming, respectful and caring way. It is a community-based, community-supported, and community-serving organization that exists solely because of the generosity of the Georgetown community and the confidence it has in The Caring Place’s ability to provide a hand up and not step over our neighbors in need.
The Future:
As The Caring Place continues to live out its mission, the organization has implemented some new things along the way. In 2019, The Caring Place updated its mission statement to the one you see at the top of this page now. During that process, The Caring Place also adopted, what it calls, "I am Caring Values." The acronym leads the way in describing the organization's values.
I ntegrity
am
C aring
A ccountable
R espectful
I nclusive
N eighborly
G rateful
