‘Helping Hand’ ministry shows God’s love to West Dallas

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DALLAS—Families living in a low-income area of West Dallas know they can find help in the midst of difficult times at Brother Bill’s Helping Hand.

Brother Bill’s Helping Hand is a charitable nonprofit organization teaming up with multiple agencies to provide resources to more than 900 families each year. This includes support from the Dallas Baptist Association through funds from the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger.

“It is important for us to build a broad base of support from Baptist churches across the state,” said Suzanne Griffin, executive director of Brother Bill’s Helping Hand.

“We couldn’t afford to help out this many people and give the community as much as we do on our budget alone.”

Ginger Petersen (right), a volunteer from Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, serves Doris Calloway at Brother Bill’s Helping Hand ministry.

Bill Harrod—a Baptist preacher who recognized the community’s growing need for food, clothing and medicine—founded the ministry in 1961. Brother Bill’s Helping Hand sponsors dozens of free programs throughout the year. One of its main concerns is food distribution.

“We bring in over 15,000 pounds of food every Tuesday,” said Griffin, a member of Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas. “Brother Bill’s feeds more than 215 families a week, and each family is getting about 35 pounds of food per week.”

The system is set up as a free grocery store rather than a food pantry.

“We call it that because this is where our neighbors come in to shop,” Griffin said. “We want to add dignity to the whole process. So (families) have a cart and make their own decisions about which food they want.”

The grocery store is a perfect ministry outlet, Griffin said.


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“We’re handing out food, but the real reason we’re here is to share Jesus Christ,” she said. “Each time they come in, they sit down with one of our greeters who tells them about program opportunities we have going on. Then we read them the Scripture verse for the week and find out what’s going on in their life, and ask if we can pray for them.”

Nearly 90 percent of the food the organization distributes comes from the North Texas Food Bank. In May, the food bank recognized Brother Bill’s Helping Hand as Agency of the Year.

“The kids in this community get breakfast and lunch at school, and then on Friday they get a backpack of food for the weekend,” Griffin said. “But when school’s out, that’s gone. So, the North Texas Food Bank donates meals to us through the Summer Lunch Box program.”

744 lunches in one week

In one week, Brother Bill’s distributed 744 lunches. Other programs for children include sports camps, arts and crafts camps, back-to-school carnivals and free school supplies. Adult programs include English-as-a-Second-Language classes, job training courses and weekly devotionals.

“The message I hope neighbors get when they come here is that the Lord cares about them and every detail of them,” said Nicole Summerville, a recent Dallas Baptist University graduate and administrative assistant for Brother Bill’s. “I want them to know that God loves them, and they do matter.”

The ministry is run by four full-time and two part-time staff, along with more than 50 weekly volunteers.

“Over half of the them are from the community,” Griffin said. “So it’s the community serving the community, and that’s what makes it so special.”

Brother Bill’s Helping Hand is centered on being a relationship-building experience.

“There used to be neighbors here that didn’t even know each other,” Griffin said. “Now there are friendships … between volunteers, staff and neighbors. Through the programs, neighbors are beginning to feel accountability and responsibility for each other.”

Strolling through the aisles with her shopping cart, Rose Mary Cantu is one of the neighbors who has become a close friend to many. Her husband, an independent truck driver, has a sporadic work schedule. Because of this, she has shopped at the organization’s free grocery store four years to make ends meet for her family.

“It seems like God always knows what I need"

“Work started going slow, so I needed all the help and prayers I could get,” Cantu said. “It seems like God always knows what I need because I come here, and I can get it.”

From groceries to medical care, Cantu has been helped physically and spiritually.

“They show their love by what they do,” Cantu said of the organization’s volunteers. “I’m so thankful I came here. Without them, I don’t know what I would do.”

But Griffin said the ministry isn’t limited to just serving shoppers and community visitors.

“It’s as much for our volunteers as it is for our neighbors,” she said. “Yes, we’re meeting drastic needs for our neighbors, but we’re also meeting the needs of our volunteers. It’s amazing to see how God puts people together and brings wonderful blessings to everyone.”

Brother Bill’s Helping Hand also partners with Baylor Health Care System, the Dallas County Medical Society, Project Access, and other local medical staff to provide quality, low-cost health care to those living in West Dallas.

In 2006 the Cirrus Group, a developer of medical facilities, remodeled the space designated for the community clinic. Seven volunteer doctors, specialized professionals and volunteer nurses provide care.

Since the clinic opened in 2007, 457 individuals have received services through the Adult Clinic, Women’s Clinic or Eye Clinic. Many have come to all three clinics. Each doctor’s visit costs the patient $5, and patients do not need medical insurance, Medicare or Medicaid.

Brother Bill’s plans to expand soon. The organization purchased one acre of land in February.

“We are not going to start construction until we have either the money or the pledges for the money,” Griffin said. “We hope that by the end of next year, we will be able to begin construction.”

As for now, the ministry will faithfully use the resources it already has.

“He is evidently at work here,” said Janet Denison, a volunteer for more than 10 years and member of Parks Cities Baptist Church. “God has his hand on this place, and he just does stuff here.”

 


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