Category: Poverty

Celebrating Community One “Like” at a Time

A Bon Mot Birthday Give Back

Ready or not here comes a birthday…   May is generally one of the craziest months of the year with grading finals, end of school, graduations, summer preparations, etc., so I tend to gloss over any real celebration.  Plus, once you get to a certain age, it’s often better to just ignore the completion of another trip around the sun.  Nonetheless, I’m delighted with the likes of Facebook and other social media outlets that make it so easy to honor birthday boys and girls with gifts to charity. So I decided to do a little experiment.  Throughout this month, I’ll donate one whole dollar (that’s right, $1!) for every new like, follow, and blog subscription we rack up here at Being Bon Mot.   My dearest Auntie Margo, who was notorious for ridiculously long birthday feting, always encouraged me to draw the celebration out as long as possible so I’m honoring her and starting today.     

It’s my birthday, and I’ll give if I want to…

All of the money raised during this “Share the Love” campaign/drive/whatever we’re calling it will be donated to Bonton Farms.  Bonton Farms is one of my favorite nonprofit organizations in Dallas (or really anywhere). And since I’m a believer in direct giving to charity, I’ll keep tabs on our progress and report often to Bon Mot followers (whether you like it or not).  My goal is $250, and I’m committed to give more if things get crazy.  I’m not sure what will happen with this little experiment, but I sincerely hope it will make an impact.

Bonton is a neighborhood in south Dallas where 85% of the men have been to prison and incidences of cancer and diabetes are more than 50% higher than the rest of the city.  Named during its golden age of “high class” (loose translation of bon ton and generally accepted history of the name), Bonton quickly devolved into a food desert with few job opportunities and rampant poverty.  Access to fresh foods was non-existent in the neighborhood. The nearest grocery store was a three-hour roundtrip bus ride for residents. And then Bonton Farms planted its roots firmly in the neighborhood’s soil.  Now Bonton Farms is thriving and the organization’s investment in the health of citizens and the health of community is paying off.  

Inspiration abounds on the farm.

Bonton Farms honey and fresh eggs are a fixture at the Dallas Farmers Market, and their beloved goats should have their own Instagram page.  The farm’s 40-acre extension is one of the nation’s largest urban gardens and provides seasonal produce in easy walking-distance to neighborhood residents. While the idea of an urban farm isn’t necessarily a new one, the use of their crops to grow confidence, develop skills, and support a thriving culture is entirely innovative in our community. Simply put, Bonton Farms is an oasis.

Daron, Trog, Patrick, and the whole team are dedicated to sowing seeds in a struggling community and to the promise of growth in everyone there.  What’s more, the folks at Bonton Farms have always been more than willing to welcome me, my family, and my students to mill about the farm and frolic with the goats and chicks.  We’ve also put in work tending to the livestock and crops there.  Farm staff have even served on a Homeless and Hunger Awareness panel I hosted on campus.  So I’m dedicating my birthday month to cultivating more admirers of the awesome work happening at Bonton Farms and in community gardens everywhere.   

My student, James, spending some time on the farm.

You can never go wrong with a Friends reference…

Listen, I acknowledge that this initiative is also slightly selfish in nature.  I mean, aren’t most all things philanthropically-focused?  There was an entire episode of Friends, cleverly titled “The One Where Phoebe Hates PBS,” dedicated to Phoebe’s pursuit of an entirely selfless act (1998 spoiler alert: She loses the bet.). Regardless of the obviously shameless and transparent self-promotion, I hope you’ll consider taking a minute to explore the great work of Bonton Farms or the community garden in your area.  If you have more time and you’re a local, stop by the Bonton Market or spend a Saturday helping out around the farm.  Whatever you choose to do, I’m grateful you took the time to read this post.    

Graffit in Bonton. garden farm signs
Signs of Hope at Boston Farms

Giving Beyond the Angel Tree

Well folks, it’s officially December, and we’re on the fast track through the holiday season and into the new year.  I have recently made the case for the benefits of simply giving money to charity (more on that here), and I maintain that remains an effective and efficient way to help your community during the holidays.  But sometimes you want to make a more tangible impact.  And typically, that impact during the holidays comes with ‘adopting’ and shopping for those in need. Christmas is a time for gratitude and perspective on the richness of our lives, and it’s humbling to think of those struggling with making their kids’ wishes come true or, more profoundly, enjoying their holiday meal in the comfort of a warm home.

Our community abounds with charitable service and support opportunities.  And let’s be clear – there’s no ambiguity about the chicken or the egg here – we can help because needs exist.  Profound needs for everyone from our eldest citizens, to veterans, to kids.  More than half of Dallas households make less than $50,000 a year, and our poverty rate remains one of the highest in the country. So it’s hard to avoid a Salvation Army Red Kettle bell ringer or a ‘checkout charity’ campaign during the holiday shopping season, and many of us choose to give in those ways.  As a matter of fact, the Red Kettle program alone raises almost $150 million for the Salvation Army each year (we’re going to need a bigger kettle…).  The Salvation Army’s holiday fundraising game is solid.  These days you will likely stumble across – you guessed it – a Salvation Army Angel Tree almost as frequently as a bell ringer, and we’re all tempted to stop and take a tag. 

Many organizations have attempted imitation, but most are merely celestial shrubs when compared to the Salvation Army Angel Tree.  There are Angel Trees in most malls in North Texas, making adoption and shopping easy as pumpkin pie.  This year the Salvation Army Angel Tree program will serve more than 45,000 kids in our community thanks to the generosity of North Texans.  So yes – the Salvation Army Angel Tree program is accessible and convenient and popular.  And it makes a tremendous community impact.  But I would encourage you to think beyond the angel tree and consider investing in lesser-known holiday programs this year.  

Some others to consider…

  • Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center Holiday of Hope Program – DCAC seeks to improve the lives of abused children in Dallas County and to lead nationwide efforts in child abuse treatment and prevention.  If you know anything about the Notorious D.C.A.C., you know that they are a guiding force in addressing the needs of children who have suffered or been witness to unthinkable abuse.  Each year the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center serves more than 5,000 children in our community; their average client is a 9-year-old girl who has been sexually abused by someone she knows and trusts.  I can’t help but think about the stories of the kids that DCAC serves, especially at Christmas.  The Holiday of Hope Program is one way that we can help bring joy to children who have overcome unimaginable circumstances. What I like about Holiday of Hope is that you get so much insight to the children you’re adopting, and you can adopt entire families.
  • Austin Street Center Apartment Starter Kit – Austin Street Center is an emergency shelter that provides shelter, meals, showers, and other services to homeless men and women in our community.  While not specifically a holiday program, Austin Street’s Start Kit drive provides an opportunity to greatly impact those in need. Austin Street collects Starter Kits (in whole or in part) for clients being placed into permanent or transitional housing.  Think of everything you needed when you moved into your first apartment.  Now, imagine that you’re moving into that apartment from a homeless shelter.
  • Stewpot Holiday Boxes – The Stewpot is a social service agency providing support to Dallas’s homeless population.  The Stewpot offers case management, training, and outreach programs to support the needs of its complex clients. Holiday Boxes contain basic toiletries and other necessities for those experiencing homelessness and provide unique opportunity for seasonal support.  
  • Community Partners of Dallas Toy Drive – If adoption or bundling isn’t your jam, consider contributing to the Community Partners Toy Drive (Who doesn’t love shopping for toys?).  Community Partners serves abused and neglected children served by Dallas County Child Protective Services, and its toy drive grants holiday wishes to more than 7,500 kids every year.  The great thing about the Community Partners drive is that have compiled a great list of popular/trending toys that they’re in need of (gift ideas, anyone?).  
  • Wish Lists, a Partridge, and a Pear Tree – Many nonprofits maintain wish lists on Amazon (holiday and otherwise) making in-kind philanthropic support super convenient.  These are a few of my favorite Dallas nonprofits’ list links, but I’d encourage you to seek out your own.

Regardless of whether you adopt a Holiday of Hope Child or put together a Stewpot Holiday Box or even grab an angel off the tree, I would suggest, nay insist, that you get your kids involved in the effort.  It sometimes takes a minute for our kids to adjust to the idea that we’re in the toy section of Target or perusing the pajamas at Old Navy and not shopping for them. (I try to keep the shopping trips for our charitable endeavors separate from other holiday errands to punctuate the experience.) But they quickly adjust. And I’m always simultaneously surprised and proud at how quickly they take ownership of the process.  They develop a distinct kinship with the people we ‘adopt’ and invest themselves in the stories of strangers.  It is my sincere hope that they grow up to cherish those memories as much as those on Christmas morning.  

I’d love to hear about your favorite holiday giving traditions!  Please take a minute to comment below.   

“For it is in giving that we receive.”  -St. Francis of Assisi

Cash NOT Cans: In Defense of Monetary Support for Food Pantries

Today is the last day of Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.  While not necessarily a cause for celebration, it is intended to draw attention to the pervasive issues of hunger and homelessness in our communities.  And its timing is no coincidence.  This is typically that time of year when we begin to fret over holiday preparations — frantically searching for new and interesting recipes on Pinterest, tidying up our guest rooms for family visits, perfecting our napkin folding technique, etcetera ad nauseam.  As we celebrate gratitude and do our best to gain perspective on our relative blessings, we often look for opportunities to help those who are less fortunate.

We happen to live in a community where needs abound.  Despite appearances to the contrary (ahem, Bravo!), Dallas is one of the poorest cities in the country and, not surprisingly, maintains Texas’s lowest median household income ($47,243 as compared to $57,617 national household median). While conditions are improving slightly, more than 30 percent of children in Dallas live in poverty (second highest rate in the country), and one out of every four kids in our community aren’t sure where their next meal will come from.  Food insecurity impacts more than 800,000 people in the North Texas area alone, and, as a result, our hunger relief organizations are busier than ever.

I spend a great deal of personal and professional time interacting with nonprofits that address issues of poverty and hunger, especially during this time of year.  I am constantly in awe of the work that organizations like CitySquare, Austin Street Center, and the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) do each and every day.   Their impact is measured in meals served and sheltered souls; luxuries that I am too often guilty of taking for granted.  So if you, like me, are moved to feed the hungry in an effort of thanks and giving, I’d urge you to put your money where your mouth is.  Literally.

While in-kind donations of food are always welcomed and appreciated at your local food pantry, it’s far more effective and efficient to give a monetary donation.  Food drives give us a tangible sense of our contributions, particularly for kids, and certainly serve a valuable purpose.  But online giving convenience aside, hunger relief organizations, especially large clearinghouses like NTFB, can make our money go farther than it ever would at the local grocery store.  When they say $1 provides access to three nutritious meals, they mean it. Nonprofits benefit from the value of large-scale purchasing and negotiate with wholesale companies for non-perishable food items as well as fresh meat, fruits, and vegetables for their clients (Fresh foods, by the way, are most scarce in poor households.).  When was the last time you ate for $1?

_______________________________

Once you decide which organization(s) you wish to support, here are some ways to help fight hunger in your community:

A Good Way to Help = Clear your pantry of non-perishable food items or pick up a few extra on your next trip to the grocery store.  Be sure to double-check ‘sell by’ dates because food banks won’t redistribute expired items, and you’ll create extra unnecessary work for the organization’s employees and volunteers.

A Better Way to Help = Check out your organization’s wish list (most food pantries and other service agencies provide a current list on their website) then shop specifically for those items to donate.  This is a better way to support food assistance nonprofits because directed in-kind donations, instead of random canned goods from your pantry (hello, coconut milk and pumpkin puree), help organizations meet the specific nutritional needs of their clients.

THE BEST Way to Help = Skip the store and give a monetary donation. (And finally try out that coconut pumpkin bread recipe.)

“Hunger is not a problem. It is an obscenity. How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

-Anne Frank

Hunger & Poverty Resource Links

Dallas Mayor’s Taskforce on Poverty – 2018 Update
U.S. Census Bureau Poverty Information & 2017 Report
The World Bank – Understanding Global Poverty
North Texas Food Bank Partner Agencies

I’d love to hear from you and the way your family celebrates thanks and giving.