About Karen

Karen Shannon Neal was born in Plano, TX on October 20th, 1967. As a child her parents, Clifton Sr. and Louise Shannon, taught her how a community coming together can change lives of so many people in a positive way. Her parents used to have a big barbecue and holiday meals and all their family and friends in the Douglas Community were invited to attend. These were very joyous occasions and had a strong impact on Karen.

As a single parent to Arron M. Shannon and Darron D. Shannon it seemed normal to continue to feed a community even though resources were limited. She coordinated each single parent family to bring what they had together, and they always had more than enough to feed their families. She was able to put her two sons through college. They were also impacted greatly by their mother’s willingness to serve and continued to come home and serve their community by what they called “Brown Bag Ministry”. Brown bag ministry included giving out peanut butter and jelly or lunch meat sandwiches, chips, cookies, and a small bottle of water. The people they served became family and Karen heard their voices asking for a hot meal. She started cooking at home and putting hot plates in the back of the car and serving from the trunk. She is grateful to now be married to her best friend, life partner and wholehearted supporter, Chester R. Neal, who encourages her to keep going.

In 2010, the Brown Bag Ministry transitioned into KarenHands Ministry. KarenHands Ministry received their 501©3 in December of 2017 and is now able to help people on a much broader level. KarenHands Ministry provides clothes, shoes, personal care products, and hot meals. They also help the community through their community service opportunities that go beyond the scope of just doing “busy work”. She finds out what gifts and talents the volunteers have and allows them to serve the community in ways that can benefit others. They help those who need counseling, spiritual literature, school supplies, and much more. Her desire is for KarenHands Ministry to own a 7-story building so they can serve the mentally ill, elderly, single parents, unplanned pregnancy, and drug and alcohol abuse. With God’s help, they will get what they desire.

Every Sunday, we mobilize our teams of volunteers to make a real difference. Join us and see what can be accomplished when you get an impassioned team to focus on change.

Our community is full of people who want to help. We work to help the people providing services with the people who need them. Come connect with people in new ways.

 Food justice is an important part of community justice. We take donations form local businesses and use them to fight hunger. Help us connect with donors and with people in need.