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Summer creates need for many: Food, financial assistance top list for area nonprofit
By Kenny Green, kgreen@starlocalnews.com
The summer time produces several challenges for area support groups that cater to those in need. One of the biggest needs is additional kid-friendly food.
“We have a higher influx of demand for food items as the kids not receiving reduced or free lunches are home,” said Teresa Jackson, executive director of Sharing Life Community Outreach. “We get more requests in June, July and August. Kid-friendly foods are in high demand.”
Jackson added that they also have a feeding program from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. during the week for those that can make it to the facility.
“People that receive assistance cannot use the Lone Star Card to buy these items. They can only use the card to purchase food items,” Jackson said.
She said that they are always in need of financial resources as well.
“We try and help with high utility bills. We often have critical needs when the weather is severe,” Jackson said.
At the end of the summer Sharing Life Community Outreach will give away 1,200 backpacks with grade-level appropriate school supplies to needy Mesquite ISD students.
“We are accepting applications through the end of July or until we get 1,200 applicants,” Jackson said. “We have been doing this for about 10 years and it has continued to grow.”
Jackson said the program started when they received calls from educators about students that didn’t have the basic supplies because their families couldn’t afford them.
“They would call us and ask if we could do anything so of course we did,” Jackson said. “We began to look at it and started a process to collect supplies and money throughout the year so we can provide grade-specific supplies to these students. We are all about dignity so we want the student sot go to school well prepared so they can learn and not be put at a disadvantage.”
Jackson said this year all of the 1,200 backpacks were donated to the facility by Lake Point Church, which is based in Rockwall and has a location in Mesquite.
“Thanks to their donation we have all the backpacks. Now we are just looking for the stuff that goes in them,” Jackson said.
She said that they are also in need of clothing so that needy children can come and shop their clothes closet for back to school clothing.
“Parents that are cleaning out closets can bring us the clothes. It allows us to have clothes for back to school shopping from our clothes closet,” Jacksons said.
Sharing Life Community Outreach is a faith-based nonprofit that serves their clients through assistance with basic necessities, food, clothing and household items as well as educational programs. For information on Sharing Life Community Outreach, visit www.sharinglifeoutreach.org or call 972-285-5819.
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