Poverty

Week 50. Sandbranch

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December 16, 2018

Sandbranch is known as Dallas County’s poorest neighborhood. A small, unincorporated community located just 14 miles southeast of Dallas, the fifth-wealthiest city in the United States, Sandbranch has been fighting for over 30 years to have access to clean running water.

Established in 1878 by the Reverend Allen Hawthorne, a freed slave from Louisiana, along with 11 other freedmen, the community grew around the Mount Zion Baptist Church, which continues to be at the center of this tight-knit community.

At its peak, Sandbranch’s population numbered approximately 500 people, but today only about 80 remain, all of whom live below federal poverty levels. The average age is 68. None of the homes have running water, sewer service, or trash pickup. The water in the community is contaminated, and residents desperately need food and drinkable water.

Sandbranch is also in a food desert, which means that residents – many without transportation – must find a way to travel more than seven miles to the nearest grocery story for healthy food options.

Sandbranch has never had running water in the entire 138 years of its existence, but up until the 1980s, people in the community used well water, which has now either run dry or is too contaminated to drink. Residents now depend on donated water or water purchased in nearby cities and brought in.

Mount Zion Baptist Church, under the leadership of Reverend Eugene Keahey, has been pivotal in helping the residents of Sandbranch maintain a decent quality of life.

For the past 22 years, the Dallas Bar Association (DBA) and special friends have contributed food and distributed it to families in the Sandbranch Community.

This was the third year that my family and I have helped distribute food during the holidays. DBA members raise the money and purchase the food to distribute to approximately 65 families. Volunteers gather at Mount Zion Baptist Church to help distribute the care packages. After unloading the U-Haul trailer and sorting the frozen turkeys, large bags of rice, beans, flour, and sugar, and cases of canned foods, volunteers and community members set up stations for each of the items on the side of the road in front of the church. Once all the items have been arranged, residents drive through the line and the items are loaded directly into their cars. Neighbors with cars help those without, so that everyone can take part.

There is a wonderful camaraderie among volunteers and neighbors, all working together for the benefit of a special community.

Read more about Sandbranch here.

Week 49. Salvation Army Red Kettle

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December 3, 2018

I love the story behind the familiar Salvation Army Red Kettle at the holidays. According to The Salvation Army’s website, the kettle originated back in 1891, when Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee was distraught because so many poor individuals in San Francisco were going hungry. During the holiday season, he resolved to provide a free Christmas dinner for the destitute and poverty-stricken. He faced a major obstacle, however, in funding the project.

As he pondered how to find the funds to fulfill his commitment of feeding 1,000 of the city’s poorest individuals on Christmas Day, he thought back to his sailor days in Liverpool, England. He remembered a large, iron kettle called “Simpson’s Pot,” located at Stage Landing, where the boats came in, where passersby could toss in their coins to help the poor.

The next day, Captain McFee placed a similar pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing at the foot of Market Street. Beside the pot, he placed a sign that read, “Keep the Pot Boiling.” He soon had the money he needed to feed the poor at Christmas.

Six years later, the kettle idea spread from the West Coast to the Boston area. That year, the combined effort nationwide resulted in 150,000 Christmas dinners for the needy. In 1901, kettle contributions in New York City provided funds for the first mammoth sit-down dinner in Madison Square Garden, a custom that continued for many years. Today in the U.S., The Salvation Army assists millions of people during the Thanksgiving and Christmas time periods.

Captain McFee’s kettle idea launched a tradition that has spread not only throughout the United States, but all across the world. Public contributions to Salvation Army kettles enable the organization to continue its year-round efforts to help those who would otherwise be forgotten.

Every December for many years, I have had the opportunity to ring the bell for the Salvation Army. A friend from the photography department at The Dallas Morning News sponsors the kettle at NorthPark Mall on Mondays throughout the holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and he always invites us to participate. We fill several slots with faculty, staff, and students at Lakehill Preparatory School, and my family and I always volunteer for a shift together.

Celebrating more than 125 years, the Salvation Army’s traditional red kettle is an integral part of the holidays, with millions of dollars donated each year to aid needy families, seniors, and the homeless, in keeping with the spirit of the season. Donating to a red kettle is easy – spare change helps change lives.

Volunteer groups are needed to staff red kettle sites for a minimum of a full day. This is a great way for organizations to help raise important funds that make an immediate difference in the community. It is a fun activity for any age, and even more enjoyable when done with friends or family. The day can be divided into multiple shifts, to make it easy for volunteers to get involved. Find out more.

Week 31: The Wilkinson Center

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July 30, 2018

Nothing says “back-to-school” like a new pair of shoes. But for many families, it’s an expense they just can’t afford.

Wilkinson Center volunteer Carlin Morris saw need in East Dallas, and in 1985, started a shoe drive to help provide children with new shoes to start the school year. Since then, this volunteer-founded and volunteer-led program has supplied more than 36,000 children with new shoes and socks.

I have met the dynamic Carlin Morris before, and for many years have wanted to participate in the event that she started and continues to coordinate for the Wilkinson Center, an agency that combines food and emergency assistance to families with multi-generational educational opportunities that can change their lives.

I was thrilled this week to finally participate in the Carlin Morris Shoe Distribution, and to have my son Anders, and my husband Johan, with me. I love it when the three of us volunteer together, and think we will make this one of our annual projects.

We arrived at the Payless Shoes store where we were greeted by Carlin. After a brief orientation, we were ready for our assignment. Once families checked in, and the children received socks and were measured for their shoe size, we led them to the stacks to assist each child in selecting the perfect pair of back-to-school shoes. For many of the children, these are the only shoes they will receive during the entire school year.

We loved chatting with the families, hearing about where the children went to school, and seeing their faces light up when they found their new shoes.

During this 32nd annual shoe distribution, volunteers helped to give away more than 1300 pairs of shoes for children in need. According to the Wilkinson Center, over the course of the distribution, 120 volunteers gave more than 300 hours of service this year–a gift that allows this event to continue year after year.

Volunteers are vital to the success of Wilkinson Center, serving as partners with the organization and assisting in their goal to provide quality programs and services to their clients. I have taken several Lakehill Preparatory School groups to volunteer over the years, and have worked on a variety of projects. My Community Connections campers love partnering with the Wilkinson Center to work in the food pantry or in the resource center.

Individuals or small groups may sign up for volunteer assignments in the Wilkinson Center’s various programs, including food and emergency services, adult education, and family enhancement programs. Corporate and large group should inquire here about projects.