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 Douglass Community were invited to attend. These were very joyous occasions and had a strong impact on Karen
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karen@karenhandsministry.org
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Education & Training
Karen S 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 big barbecues and holiday meals and all their family and friends in the Douglass Community were invited to attend. These were very joyous occasions and had a strong impact on Karen.
As a single parent to Aaron 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 to 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. 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 was grateful to be married to her best friend, life partner, and wholehearted supporter, Chester R. Neal, who encouraged 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 seven story buildings 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.
