Nonpro t
BY CHLOE YOUNG
Residents in the area can receive free goods through the organization’s food pantry up to twice a week.
Operation Liberty Hill has provided supportive services and programs to residents in the area since 2013.
Around 70 volunteers and a small team of sta members work at the nonpro t to provide local families with clothing and other essential items.
PHOTOS BY CHLOE YOUNG COMMUNITY IMPACT
Operation Liberty Hill addresses community needs
Over the past decade, local nonpro t Operation Liberty Hill has provided a growing number of wraparound support services to residents living in Liberty Hill and Leander ISDs, Bertram and Briggs. Executive Director Susan Baker started the organization in 2013 after taking over a food bank operated by local churches, Program Director Regina O’Brien said. The faith-based nonpro t has since grown from a handful of volunteers to around 70 volunteers working alongside several full- and part-time employees, she said. Today, Operation Liberty Hill serves thousands of individuals and families through its food pantry, thrift store and various other programs located at its 11,000-square-foot space o US 183. A closer look Operation Liberty Hill provides nancial, technology, and job skills courses through its Rise Up program. The Money Fundamentals course teaches participants skills such as budgeting, managing debt and spending wisely and is required for individuals to receive up to $200 in nancial assistance a year from the organization, O’Brien said. “Seventy percent of people who go through a basic money management course become nan- cially stable,” she said. Residents can learn basic technology skills through the TechWise program with Austin Urban Technology Movement. The course assists people
who feel they’ve been left behind by technology and provides participants with a free laptop. In July, Operation Liberty Hill launched the New Beginnings program with Liberty Hill ISD to train people on how to become paraprofessionals. What else? As LHISD does not have a summer meals pro- gram, students who qualify for free and reduced- price lunch can receive two meals and several snacks each week at Operation Liberty Hill. Residents can receive free food items through the organization’s food pantry up to twice a week. Individuals participating in the food bank can also obtain free clothing vouchers for each person in their household every other month. Additionally, the organization provides housing to individuals who are temporarily homeless. The impact The number of services the organization pro- vided to residents increased by 28% from 2022 to 2023, with about 49,000 people assisted last year, O’Brien said. Operation Liberty Hill seeks to spiritually support those it serves by praying for them and connecting them to local churches, O’Brien said. “People walk away feeling loved and accepted instead of judged or looked down on,” O’Brien said. “We try to meet them where they’re at and do everything we can to get them back on their feet.”
The thrift store sells a variety of clothing, accessories, shoes, antiques, decor and kitchen items.
The nonpro t is operated by volunteers from local schools, churches and other organizations.
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1401 N. US 183, Leander www.operationlh.org
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