WACO, TX — As businesses in Central Texas prepare to reopen tomorrow, one organization in Waco is preparing for something different.
Because of its impact on the community, it really couldn't shut down, so instead, it restructured its process to continue to help people rebound from the pandemic.
When we took our cameras to the CareNet Pregnancy Center in Waco, we noticed the entire time we were there, the receptionist could be heard saying "Thank you for calling CareNet Pregnancy Center, how can I help you?"
After the Coronavirus shutdown businesses and organizations a month ago, CareNet remained open for the hundreds of families that depended on its countless services.
"Just in the past month, we have served 400 women with material assistance and 120 of those were new" according to CEO, Deborah McGregor.
But for McGregor and her team, remaining open meant reorganizing procedures that involved a hands-on care approach with pregnant women. "Am I going to have any staff that's even available to serve them because everybody was afraid and the exposure was uncertain?" was the question she asked herself. The answer? "I'll give the Millennials a big hurrah. They were the first ones to say sign me up."
And part of signing up meant assisting the 28 women and children who are housed on the property, trying to rebuild from the loss of income, housing, jobs, transportation and broken relationships.
That included 21-year-old Angelica Bean, a domestic violence survivor and a single mom of three small children. "This place is beautiful, they're very kind. When I got here, I was very skeptical because I've been to other programs before. I never felt loved growing up and you can feel the love when you walk in."
A love that goes beyond housing and giving away curbside packages with free items like diapers, formula, clothes, food and wet wipes. "We were actually able to go back three years and every woman that had had a positive pregnancy test, we were able to call her, and ask her how are you doing, is there anything that you need, how can we help and then meet those needs," said McGregor.
For Angelica, she has dreams of becoming a successful and wealthy lawyer one day, in hopes of returning the favor and meeting the needs of others. "I'm giving back to the community because they gave to me when I didn't have nothing." In her dreams, she says she has "a nice house with a big back yard and my kids are in school and I'm raising my kids in a Godly way because if it wasn't for God, I would not be here."
We hope and pray her dreams come true.
