A helping hand in West Dallas
Brother Bill’s Helping Hand embodies a selfless legacy that has been sharpened in West Dallas for over three quarters of a century.
The events of life can put good people in difficult situations, but giving them the opportunity to rise above adversity reaffirms human dignity and inspires confidence, hope, and trust. “We seek to meet or work with the community to ensure the essentials of life … to empower people to take the next level,” said Wes Keyes, director of the nonprofit West Dallas since 2017.
Historically, West Dallas has been one of the poorer communities in the city as it has been neglected for decades. While the opening of Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge attracted new housing and investment a few years ago, we know that poverty, food insecurity and medical insecurity have not gone away. Household stress from the pandemic, job losses and insecure childcare only underscored Brother Bill’s need.
Asking for help is not easy for many people who are embarrassed or who have had a bad experience. And that’s why Brother Bill’s brings compassion and respect to his interactions. Those who seek help are not referred to as clients or clients or any other clinical cold term. You will be greeted and treated as neighbors, a protocol that continues the legacy of Founder Bill Harrod, a third-grade pastor who began the mission in the 1940s and who provides food, clothing, spiritual encouragement, and residents of West Dallas provided other essentials.
Today, Brother Bill’s operates several community programs from a facility on North Westmoreland Road, the best known of which is its grocery store, operated in partnership with the North Texas Food Bank, and its health clinic, which was founded in partnership with Methodist Hospital. The grocery store has about 300 families, mostly from West Dallas and Oak Cliff, shopping for canned and dry goods, frozen meat, fresh diapers, toiletries, and other items every week. And over the course of a year, the grocery store was handing out over 1.5 million pounds of groceries.
Unsurprisingly, the demand for food aid skyrocketed during the pandemic, and the need for food is why most hear about Brother Bill. But even before the pandemic changed so many lives, Keyes was looking for ways the nonprofit could help feed families. Concerned about the lack of protein available to many residents, Keyes encouraged the hunters to process and deliver meat, which Brother Bill’s distributes to families. Brother Bill’s is currently testing a program that will allow shoppers to choose their groceries using their smartphones.
As important as the grocery store is to many residents, the free clinic provides primary health care to more than 4,500 patients, many of whom only speak Spanish, are uninsured and otherwise would not have a general practitioner to help control potentially life-threatening diabetes, high blood pressure and other conditions. “We’re trying to reach those who fall between the cracks of the insurance system” to improve people’s health and keep the emergency rooms out, Keyes says.
There is satisfaction, says Keyes, when people who once sought services become volunteers or donors and offer a helping hand as given to them. The nonprofit may never “get lost from work,” Keyes says, but it is the spirit of being a good neighbor to those in need that blesses Brother Bill to so many people for so many decades.
Editor’s Note: Each year, the Dallas Morning News Charities sponsor an important group of organizations in North Texas dedicated to helping the hungry and homeless among us. This Christmas gift-giving season, the editorial team is highlighting the work of some of the 23 nonprofits that DMN Charities work with. We hope you are reading these stories and considering joining us in helping those who make better lives around us. To offer your assistance, please visit dmncharities.com.
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