409

Place is important.

History and memory lead us back toward significant places where things occurred, were planned and executed.

Such a place is 409 N. Haskell Avenue (409) here in Dallas, Texas.

In 1994, thanks to the commitment of Jim and Betsy Sowell, along with the support of many of their friends at the Preston Road Church of Christ and from other churches, Central Dallas Food Pantry purchased the property at 409 to accommodate the expansion and growth of the organization. The property had been purchased from the Resolution Trust Corporation at a very good price.

I arrived at Central Dallas Food Pantry just as the remodel began on this new facility. Previously, the organization ran everything from the much smaller building located at 801 N. Peak Street in the same neighborhood (and that is another story to be told at another time!). The new property signaled a new beginning for what soon would be tagged "Central Dallas Ministries."

With the current development of CitySquare's Opportunity Center, the 409 property is now for sale.

As we move on to the next chapter in our history, it seems appropriate to reflect on all that transpired in this special, unique corner here in inner city, Old East Dallas. So, over the next several months (most likely it will take that long!), I'll be telling stories on this page about the events at 409 that have shaped us all and that have led to the transformation of so many lives.

Thinking about this little memory project brings to mind so many key words and tags. Here are a few just for starters. . .

• Church and Food Pantry
• Seasoned, burned out volunteers from outside the community
• Changes in staff leadership and choice
• Learning the ropes of day-to-day food distribution
• Memorable trips to the North Texas Food Pantry
• A truck without brakes
• Josefina Ortiz
• Conflict and change
• Janet Morrison and contemporaries
• Volunteers who got it
• Theology of urban renewal
• Cocaine campground
• Crack house at the corner
• Pay phone at Crutcher and Haskell
• Getting out a newsletter. . .seriously?
• Jeffie Massey
• Beyond charity
• The Christmas Store
• Dallas Morning News Charities
• Project Access Dallas
• The first Kids Kamp

And, the list goes on and on! 

Stay tuned for short stories and vignettes from our past at this very sacred place where community has been breaking out for years now!

Food, work and hope

Out my front door. . .

The photos below aren't so clear--taken with my phone from across the street and from an upstairs window.  The first shot doesn't capture very well the long line of men, women and children extending down the sidewalk to the left from our front door all the way to the corner, but they are there.

I wanted to capture the scene and the moment without being obvious or intrusive on our friends and neighbors. 

Over 100 folks waiting outside our door when I arrived for work at about 8:00 a.m. on Friday. 

This is reality outside my door most every day. 

So far in 2009, over 1.5MM pounds of high-quality, mostly nutritious food products distributed to the community in an attempt to provide a helpful supplement to household resources, mostly on the decline. 

Much to do. 

Much to consider. 

Arguments about responses of people of faith pretty well evaporate for me when I see scenes like this one. 

COMMUNITY HUNGER DAY: Mid-Day Update. . .

My team is 36% of the way toward our goal of $5,000! 

Every cent raised will go to the purchase of high-quality grocery products for very low-income families who need a hand up.

So far this year, CDM has distributed over 1,200,000 pounds of groceries, a number equal to twice as much as we conveyed to the community during all of 2008!

So far this year, CDM has met with over 5,000 new families as compared to this time last year.  That is 5,000 new and unduplicated families who've come to us seeking assistance.

We need your help today. 

Click here to make a donation to our team's fund! 

Community Hunger Day

Can I get another "witness"?

Take a moment to check the link right here.

Reactions invited and needed.

Food

Food is important.

I take it that you've noticed that, right?

It is especially important if you find yourself in a situation where it is not available to you or your loved ones.

These days more and more people are coming to us for help with their nutrition needs. Most are from working families. All attempt to make it on very low, inadequate income resources. Some work at more than one job. Many are elderly neighbors and children, beautiful children.

For years we've struggled to provide enough food to these growing numbers of people who need help with their grocery costs. While we have served more people than any other organization in town, we haven't been the leader in quantity of nutritious food products delivered. The leader in Dallas when it comes to pounds distributed and quality of food products is Crossroads Community Services (CCS), an outreach ministry of First United Methodist Church located in Downtown Dallas.

Rev. Jay Cole serves as the Executive Director for CCS. I'm very proud to say that Jay spent time with us at CDM as an intern while at Perkins School of Theology. While he was with us, he taught us more than we taught him!

Jay has developed the most innovative system for food distribution in the city, possibly in the nation. His plan links individual and family food selection to a number of indicators, including family size, lifestyles and health indicators. Jay's system is tied directly to the U. S. Department of Agriculture's new food needs pyramid.

Earlier this year CCS and CDM worked out the details of a collaborative partnership to do even more in response to the food needs of low-income neighbors in Dallas. Some of the improvements resulting from our new connection include the fact that we order food from the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) together in a joint, collaboration account. Together we are serving more people than we were apart. CDM has adopted the CCS database and reporting model, as well as the food selection methodology and we are now distributing twice as much food product as before we the new relationship.

In the future we hope to develop an expanded network of food distribution sites that link up with smaller organizations across the city in an attempt to cooperate with our partners at NTFB. We are feeling very optimistic about our future.

I'm grateful for CCS and Jay Cole and his entire team. I'm also very thankful for all that Keith Ackerman has done on the CDM side to establish and solidify the new relationship. Of course, none of this would have been possible on our side without the hard work and positive, cooperative attitude of Agapito Perez, the Director of the CDM Resource Center. He has the new, bulked up system working like a well-oiled machine.

We hope to respond to the pressing, extremely important food needs of our neighbors no matter how severe they may become.


If you'd like to help us, give me a call!

Need continues to swell. . .

The numbers are in.

The news is not good.

The number of people seeking assistance in our Haskell Avenue Resource Center continues to climb when compared to the same period last year.

The number of individuals served (that is different people) grew by 16% during the first two months of 2009, as compared to January-February 2008. The number of different family units served rose by 24%.

During the first two months of this year, we saw the number of individuals interviewed increase by 10% and the number of families touched rise by 21%.

More people coming to us more often for assistance.

The unemployment numbers released on last Friday don't help. Well over 600,000 Americans lost their jobs last month.

The needs will only increase.

.