Traditional Thanksgiving dinner too costly for some North Texans

by Lena Dirbashi

• Tweet
• Email
• Print
• 4 Comments

Because everyone deserves a happy Thanksgiving.

Photo by Lena Dirbashi

Friday mornings are popular at the food pantry, as fresh produce becomes available to many families in North Texas.

A few Thanksgivings ago, Andre Alston worked as a permanent substitute teacher at Dallas ISD. For years, he taught English, math, science, and reading. But four years ago, the school district decided that his college degree, a two-year associates degree, wasn't enough and laid him off.

It didn't take him long to find another job -- but not without compromise. Alston's new job at Macy's department store was paying him a fraction of how much he got paid as a teacher. Soon, he found himself caught between paying the bills and buying food. "When you get to that point," he said. "You just feel really bad." With no immediate family close by and nobody to turn to, Alston felt weak, overwhelmed, and sad. One day, he was standing at the unemployment office and noticed a flier for the Central Dallas Ministries (CDM). He paid them a visit that changed everything. Alston was finally able to enjoy a happy Thanksgiving.

Central Dallas Ministries, one of more than 300 food pantries in the Dallas-Forth Worth area, is overwhelmed in the weeks leading up to the holidays. The average number of food recipients for 2009 was 4,575 individuals per month at the Ministries, and that number is expected to double during the holidays. The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB), which distributes food to the Ministries and 291 member agencies, doubled its staff and trucks to confront the drastic increase in need.

Photo by Lena Dirbashi

Juice boxes are in high demand, especially for families with children going to school.

Rising property taxes, food costs, utility expenses, car payments, health care costs, and other economic burdens have pushed ordinary people -- employed and unemployed -- to food assistance.

The number of families and individuals who are facing hunger has been on the rise even before the current economic meltdown, with an average of a 10-15% rise annually. A survey complied by 13 counties reveals a striking 35% increase in new food recipients for 2009.

“They are the new faces of hunger,” said Colleen Brinkman, chief philanthropy officer for the North Texas Food Bank. “They aren’t homeless, but people like you and me who got laid off and overnight found themselves standing in line for food.” Only 9% of food recipients of the 291-member agencies are homeless people, she added.

Agapito R. Perez, director of the Dallas Central Ministries Food Pantry and Resource Center, agrees. “We’ve seen individuals pull up to our pantry in their Escalade automobiles,” he said. “You really never know.”

Photo by Lena Dirbashi

Tons and tons of food are stored at The North Texas Food Bank. The food often lasts for a week and is refilled continuously.

Hunger is a primal human need and basis of how society is functioned, Brinkman said. “And when we help one person, the ripple effect is vast because then they can achieve success in the classroom, as a employee, as a neighbor, and build a striving community.”

Each agency has its own criteria. Some pantries are open once a month while others are twice a week. Most require pay-stubs and electric bills as qualifiers. CDM, for example, is large enough to provide a grocery-store like pantry where recipients can "shop" for the items they need. “This way, mothers can pick out what their kids will eat,” explains Brinkman. “More common, though, are sacks and paper bags pre-packaged with food.”

Texas leads the country with the highest number of hungry children, according to Brinkman. But in the United States, the number of hungry Americans tripled since 2006. That means 49 million people, including 17 million children, are hungry, according to statistics released by U.S. Department of Agriculture on November 16. Hunger affects almost 13% of households in this country, according to the annual Food Security Survey (FSS) of the United States Department of Agriculture, with one out of eight Americans facing a hunger problem.

Photo by Lena Dirbashi

Volunteers often come in groups to sort out the food boxes. A total of 291 food pantries place orders with the North Texas Food Bank.

The people at the NTFB and the CDM are not focused on the politics of the hunger issue. “We just want to help as much as we can,” Brickman said, who is hopeful that the combined efforts of her organization and all other partnering organizations can help tackle the hunger problem locally. Even women serving time, through a coordinated program between NTFB and local county jails, help with cookouts or dinner parties hosted by the NTFB at various churches and schools some nights a week.

“There is a solution to reduce the numbers,” said Steve Palma, chief financial officer of CDM. “Consistently receiving adequate food allows a person’s limited income to go toward payment of rent, utilities, job transportation, or medical expenses.”

It's been more than two years since Alston, now 48, stood in the food line. He says he's grateful to CDM for lifting him up during a difficult transition in his life. Today, Alston works as a para-professional, teaching and tutoring at schools in Dallas. He is also married and has a daughter, with another on the way. He volunteers at the CDM whenever he gets time off of work, and has been there almost everyday the week before Thanksgiving handing out turkeys to families.

"There was always love when I needed them," he said. "They treat you so well and I just want to pass it on."