The Drive for Good
The holidays can be a difficult time for many people and the struggles have only increased since the pandemic began. People lost their jobs and their homes. People were left trying to figure out how to put food on the table to feed their families. Aj Robbins, the owner of Robbins Dry Cleaners and Apollo Homes DFW, came to our local community’s aid for yet another holiday season. And this year, his efforts grew to places that were completely unexpected but greatly appreciated.
During the holiday season of 2020, Aj saw a need with our local residents. People were struggling and they were having a hard time reaching out for help. Aj himself was no stranger to the struggles of the pandemic, however, his heart for others led him to the desire to help those in desperate need. Aj began a food drive that he hosted in Robbins Dry Cleaners and saw great success and appreciation with
his efforts.
This past holiday season, Aj decided to host the food drive again, however, this year, he wanted to be able to help in an even bigger way. “I have a large network and I reached out to those people and businesses to get them involved,”
Aj said. “I can only do so much.” With the help of Aj’s extended efforts, the drive took off. “It kind of blew up,” Aj said. People donated gift cards, food, clothing, and more to those that weren’t able to provide those things for themselves. “We were doing more than just food and gift cards. We were paying tickets, helping with bills. If you had a financial strain, we would go out and pay it,” Aj said.
At the end of the holiday season, Aj and his network of partners were able to help around 120 families. Aj hopes to make this an annual event that will begin in the middle of November and go through December. With the success of the past year’s donations, Aj has found that the event has outgrown his own store. “Our goal next year is to be able to open up a storefront space to host the drive,” Aj said. It is because of his generosity and his true servant’s heart that so many local residents were able to have a truly magical Christmas season. It’s safe to say that without Aj’s devotion to our town and its people, the holidays would have looked a lot less merry and bright.
