Programs
Guidelines for a Positive Volunteer Experience
Create the best possible volunteer experience for yourself, your friends and your family! Please take the time to familiarize yourself with this short set of volunteer guidelines. They can be helpful in terms of guiding you toward a volunteer experience that fulfills your own needs while you’re freely fulfilling someone else’s needs. For more information, please phone us at 214-351-1901, extension 211 or drop a line to Dallas Hope Charities.
Christmas Gift Wrapping Services
This is a seasonal way to contribute to those in need. Volunteers wrap Christmas gifts with 100% of the donations from the wrapping services benefiting the Evelyn Pruitt AIDS Crisis Fund, which is used for financial assistance for those living with HIV/AIDS. If you’re a gifted wrapper, join us on Sundays and Wednesdays during the holiday season.
Dallas Hope Center
Our mission is to reduce homelessness among LGBT young adults in North Texas by opening and operating the first LGBT-focused shelter in the Dallas area, tailored to the needs of individuals ages 18-24. We are calling it DALLAS HOPE CENTER. We provide LGBT-Focused, but not exclusive, safe shelter for up to one year for any young adults aged 18-24 in need. We also partner with others to provide case management, on-site staff, healthcare and mental health services. And we teach necessary life skills like state identification, pursuing education, and finding employment. We need your help to fund and grow this vital service in Dallas to house and support the community so no LGBT young adult in North Texas faces the prospect of homelessness alone.
Blessing Bags for the Homeless
Blessing Bags are gallon-size Ziploc® bags that contain snacks, travel-size toiletries, socks, a bottle of water, grooming supplies, and other items that people who live on the street find useful. Bags are kept in your car, so when you encounter a person who is experiencing homelessness, you can offer the bag to them. Shopping lists are distributed on the first Wednesday of each month. Items on the list are purchased during the week and brought back the second Wednesday of the month, and those who are interested are invited to take a few bags with them to keep on hand in their cars.
Breakfast at Cathedral of Hope (BACH)
Volunteers provide a hot cooked breakfast each Saturday morning for those who are experiencing homelessness. Typically, 40ish volunteers arrive as early as 5:00 a.m. to collectively serve 400 hot meals consisting of 720 eggs, 480 sausages, 570 pancakes, 200 cups of coffee, 12 gallons of milk, 6 gallons of orange juice, 3 gallons of syrup, 12 pounds of sugar, 4 pounds of creamer and 5 pounds of butter. Haircuts are frequently provided and monthly basic physical exams are provided by a medical professional. All positions require a background check, and some positions require a valid food handler’s certificate which we can help you to obtain in as little as 90 minutes.
Taste of Hope – Homeless Outreach
Meals of Hope
Our goal is to let people living on the streets know they are not forgotten by graciously offering “A Taste of Hope”. The meal we serve is similar to a meal we would serve guests in our home. However, our program is not about “feeding the homeless.” It is about connecting with the people we serve, even for just a few moments. To reassure them that people do care about them. We invite them to worship with us and to BACH and iCare for a free meal. We do this with genuine intent by providing a map with bus/DART route information as well as listing accessible local resources. All positions require a background check, and some positions require a valid food handler’s certificate which we can help you to obtain in as little as 90 minutes.
iCare Charity Lunch
Every Monday, iCare volunteers prepare a meal for those who might otherwise go without. In fact, a typical Monday sees 25ish volunteers serving 200 meals. At this same event, the Dallas Hope Charities food pantry donates up to 100 bags of groceries, utilizing the nonperishable food donations brought to Cathedral of Hope on the last Sunday of each month. iCare volunteers serve on Mondays from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 pm. Bilingual speakers(English / Spanish), are always needed. All positions require a background check, and some positions require a valid food handler’s certificate which we can help you to obtain in as little as 90 minutes.
Pack the Pantry – Food Drive
On Pack the Pantry Sunday (the last Sunday of each month), volunteers collect, sort and shelve the food brought to Cathedral of Hope. Through these donations, we are able to consistently provide more than 300 bags of food each month to people who might otherwise go hungry. Additionally, if you shop at Kroger or Tom Thumb and participate in their community rewards programs that name CoH as beneficiary, we receive 1% of sales each quarter.
Thanksgiving Baskets
Thanksgiving reminds us, with food and friends, how blessed we are. For many years, we have provided food for 500 individuals and families. Please consider participating in this Thanksgiving tradition by indicating your commitment to bring a basket, or donating the money needed to purchase the supplies for one basket. We provide everything needed from a frozen turkey to vegetables, cranberry sauce, and mixes for holiday desserts.
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