Article featured in Lifestyle Frisco | by Sean Heatley | Published 9/15/2015
So what does it take to make a village these days? Witch doctors are hard to find and hunting parties in the streets are generally frowned upon.
Could it be as simple as living by people that come out of their house and want to meet their neighbors?
I’ve lived in six different neighborhoods as an “adult” and while I still keep trying to replicate my freshman dorm days (ship sailing music…), I have failed repeatedly. While the party element was part of the equation, the real draw is a hyper-social lifestyle. The idea that you can walk down the dorm hallway and spark up a conversation with someone of an uncommon dissent is highly intriguing.
More intriguing these days is the idea that my two-year old daughter will come to think of this hyper-social behavior as normal. Yes she will probably have an iPhone in her back pocket, but by God, she’ll be riding a bike in a pack of kids with a helmet, while carrying it!
In a world of semi-anti-social behavior and major gadget focus, it was incredibly lucky for Erica and I to find a neighborhood like Phillips Creek Ranch (PCR). I know this feels like a potential marketing plug, but this is really about broadcasting the idea of PCR, not PCR itself….
Re-inventing the idea that your neighbor’s 13 year-old daughter can watch your dogs while you’re gone instead of boarding them.
Re-inventing the trust that your 7 year-old neighbor can earn a few bucks for watering the plants while you travel.
Re-inventing the idea that kids can car-pool, study, and rides bikes to school. Re-inventing the idea you just feel better around people you trust….
Yes our home is still the most expensive thing we’ve ever bought and thus far the second best investment we’ve made in our lives (#1, surrogacy to get our daughter), but watching Greyson grow up here is going to be really exciting!
So what does all of this have to do with Purge the Pantry?
Purge the Pantry is the ultimate in recycling…walk into your pantry, grab all the weird cans of food, bags of beans and other “good ideas” from last years trip to the grocery store and give them away to a shelter that really needs them!
This year’s event included just shy of 100 great friends, family and awesome neighbors and in the course of just a few hours we collected 2,000 servings of food! THEN we challenged the PCR’s owners, Republic Property Group, to pony up and match our haul! Mission Accomplished!
So this years recipients, Frisco Family Services, an essential extension of our village, will be receiving ~4,000 servings of desperately needed food and we are more than proud to rally the troops to help this year.
Purge the Pantry is just in its infancy, but the good souls in and around the village we call Frisco are going to make giving a whole lot of fun in the years to come!
A special thanks to both Denton and Collin County Commissioners Hugh Coleman and Susan Flecther for attending, giving their time, and leading our community!