Dylan and Madison* are the parents of three elementary-aged boys. They both work full-time jobs, but like 64% of Americans, their family lives paycheck to paycheck. When either of them has to miss a day of work due to illness in their family or when an unexpected expense arises like new tires, they occasionally need a little extra help to get by.

On an extremely hot, humid, and busy food distribution day at Dallas-High Shoals Christian Ministry, a young man was walking down the sidewalk past our parking lot. When one of our dedicated and faithful volunteers greeted the young man with a friendly "good morning," she noticed that he was sweaty, exhausted, somewhat downtrodden, and just might be hungry.

The only thing Lisa wanted to be when she was growing up was a mother. As a young adult she became a mom to a son, Adam, then to a daughter, Anna. Lisa loved being a mom to her children as they grew and became teenagers. Some traffic violations and 36 hours of court-ordered community service led Lisa to Dallas Christian Ministry.

Glen and Shelby are a special needs couple in their 70s. When they arrived at Dallas Christian Ministry, they were homeless and had no hope for their own future. They didn’t see an end in sight, and they didn’t realize they qualified for assistance.