Crossroads Community Services

June 10

Visit from Perkins School of Theology Students

On Thursday, May 27 a group of 15 students from Perkins School of Theology visited CCS and volunteered their time as a part of the Perkins Mission Week Experience.

Larry, a 3^rd year Master of Divinity student, wrote this about his experience:

“I was not sure what to expect in my first visit to volunteer at CCS - what I found was a very organized and effective means to serve the low-income and homeless families of our area.  I was working in the distribution of men's clothing and was very pleased to find the donated clothing neatly displayed and sorted by size as clothing is in a department store.  The clients were treated with kindness and respect so that their experience was more similar to a shopping outing than a mad shuffle through stacks of clothes.  As I stayed longer, I saw that attitude throughout the operation - people were treated fairly and respectfully, were given choices and adequate time to make selections, and were never made to beg or grovel to have their immediate needs met.”

Another student, Joshua, wrote this:

"Volunteering with CCS is the definition of 'blessed to be a blessing.' Serving people in need, working alongside other joyful and spirit-filled volunteers, and being Christ's hands in a broken world are just a few of the experiences I had in just one day of volunteering. I'll be back soon!"

Special thanks to the Perkins professors and students for your assistance in serving our neighbors-in-need!

by Jean Jacobs, CCS Volunteer Coordinator

June 9

TheStewpotDallas.blogspot.com mention!

Thanks to our friend, Rev. Bruce Buchannan, for mentioning us in his post on The Stewpot's new blog today!  Check it out here! 

June 1

Amigos Days Experience

Recently, I was invited by Warren United Methodist Church to be part of an event called Amigos Days.

Amigos Days is a hands-on ministry of the United Methodist Church and People Helping People (a City of Dallas Housing Revitalization Program). These organizations partner with inner-city Methodist host churches (this year's host church is Warren UMC) to repair and restore homes to make a positive difference in their neighborhoods.

On this particular weekend, four houses in the South Dallas area were selected and I had the privilege of volunteering with some amazing men and women. We were part of the hospitality team, in which we prepared snack packs and lunches for all of the volunteers helping with Amigos Days. Elnora, one of the volunteers I worked with, is a member of the Community Emergency Response Team who is always on site with volunteers while the homes are being repaired. Another volunteer, Lesli, has been a volunteer of Amigos Days since 2000 and says she will continue to come back to offer her assistance where needed.  This was an unforgettable experience that left me eager to see more, and so, for the record, I hope to be invited again next year to help make a difference in another community!

by Jennifer Johnson, CCS MFP Coordinator

May 24

A Pleasant Surprise

A couple of weeks ago, a client - Aurelia - visited CCS for the first time.  After the usual interview process, the intake volunteer with whom she had been speaking brought her to the front desk, as she had a question and he wasn't following her Spanish.  Aurelia asked Virginia, our Client Services Coordinator, who was going to charge her, where she was going to pay for the food she was to receive.  She had assumed that food was available at a reduced price.  She was obviously overjoyed with the response that CCS provides food at no cost to the client!

Through our partnership with the North Texas Food Bank, which is a member of the national organization Feeding America, we are able to provide approximately 10 days worth of nutrient- and calorie-balanced grocery packages to each person who comes to CCS for assistance.

by Virginia Salinas, CCS Client Services Coordinator,

with special guest writer Bob, CCS Volunteer

May 6

Resurrection Fund Results

A very sincere THANK YOU to all of the generous donors who contributed to

the 27th annual Resurrection Fund!

Each year First United Methodist Church holds a special fundraising drive, named the Resurrection Fund, in the weeks approaching Easter to support the food and financial assistance programs of CCS.  This year the drive raised nearly $53,000!

Again, thank you to this year's Resurrection Fund donors.

by Catherine Tunks, CCS Assistant Director

April 26

MFP Site Highlight: Texas Can! Academy

One of our newest Multi-Family Program (MFP) sites, Texas Can! Academy located in South Dallas, was enrolled in MFP in November 2009 when their Physical Education teacher Coach Vaughn came in to CCS in search of Thanksgiving food baskets to give to his students. CCS Director Rev. Jay Cole approved his request and Texas Can! received roughly 400 pounds of food; the equivalent of 364 meals. After CCS staff learned of the food needs at Texas Can!, we immediately added them as an MFP site. I researched more of what Texas Can! Academy was all about and learned that a key focus of theirs is to become involved in the lives of their at-risk youth, which they have been implementing in the communities for over 20 years.  At Texas Can!, by providing second chances for at-risk youth and their families through relationship-based education and training, they provide a way to achieve economic independence and hope for a better life.

I was able to experience first-hand some of the situations that these students faced. In many cases, while I was registering them into the MFP, the head of household tended to be student and not their parent(s). I was then informed that the parent(s) of these young adults were either rarely at home or incarcerated. We are glad to be partnering with Texas Can! Academy to assist in the self-sufficiency of these young promising students. 

by Jennifer Johnson, MFP Coordinator