Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson has announced that the Mayor's Disaster Relief Fund will distribute $500,000 in grants to 25 local non-profit organizations that are helping residents recover from last week's winter storms.
Each organization will receive a $20,000 grant, Mayor Johnson said.
"These groups are on the ground. Some you may never have even heard of them, but we know through our connection to the community, these folks know where the people who have the need are. They’re taking care of them everyday anyway. And they’re getting the money to be able to do the things they need to do to help their clientele," Johnson said.
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The grants were unanimously approved by the Mayor's Disaster Relief Fund advisory committee.
The committee is chaired by former U.S. Ambassador and current Hunt Consolidated Senior Vice President Jeanne Phillips.
The other members of the committee are the Dallas Foundation President and CEO Matthew Randazzo, UT Southwestern Vice President for Community and Corporate Relations Ruben Esquivel, the Beck Group's Executive Chairman Peter Beck, Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax, and Mayor Eric Johnson's Chief of Staff Mary Elbanna.
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“Last week’s brutal winter storms and catastrophic power outages tested our city’s resolve and our resilience, but our generous donors and the work of our grant recipients show the interminable strength of our communities,” Mayor Johnson said. “The people of Dallas are our city’s greatest asset, and I am thrilled that we will be able to help them recover and rebuild.”
Since Mayor Johnson announced the Fund's activation last week, the Dallas Foundation has received about $1.2 million in donations and counting.
The bulk of the donations came from the Dallas Mavericks organization, the City of Dallas said.
Mavs players Dwight Powell, Luka Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Maxi Kleber made monetary contributions to winter storm relief efforts, as did owner Mark Cuban and President and CEO Cynt Marshall.
In total, the Dallas Mavericks organization donated $1.1 million to the Mayor’s Disaster Relief Fund.
In a press conference on Thursday, April Martin, the Corporate Affairs Manager of the Dallas Division of Kroger, announced that the store is donating $50,000 to the Mayor’s Disaster Relief Fund.
Kroger is also donating 10 trucks of water, which is equivalent to 50,000 gallons of water, to the City of Dallas.
Members of the Greater Dallas Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce also spoke at Thursday's press conference, announcing a $25,000 donation to the Mayor’s Disaster Relief Fund.
“The Mayor’s Disaster Relief Committee prioritized swiftly deploying these critical resources for the benefit of individuals and families who were most impacted by last week’s storm,” said Randazzo. “The organizations receiving these unexpected financial resources expressed deep gratitude for the community’s support and recognition of their critical role in responding to this crisis.”
The Mayor’s Disaster Relief Fund, sponsored by The Dallas Foundation, was initially created to help the City shelter Hurricane Katrina refugees in 2005.
The Fund, which previously distributed $275,000 to organizations that helped residents navigate the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic, can only be used in the event of a federally declared disaster in Dallas.
The state of Texas received an initial federal disaster declaration for the winter storms from President Joe Biden on Feb. 14.
“The Mayor’s Disaster Relief Fund was created for a moment like this, when our city must come together to recover from a huge disaster,” Phillips, the committee chair, said. “We are thankful for all those who have given to our relief efforts so far, and we are also grateful to The Dallas Foundation for their excellent stewardship of the Mayor’s Disaster Relief Fund, which has allowed us to be ready when our city has needed assistance over the years. Now, we look forward to seeing the work of these reputable organizations as they help our communities rebuild.”
During Thursday's press conference, Johnson said that the City of Dallas has gone to work repairing the damage caused by last week's winter storms.
Along with grants from the Mayor's Disaster Relief Fund going to organizations that are helping with recovery efforts, the City of Dallas also created a plan that would allocate $2 million to organizations that will qualify low-to-moderate income homeowners for grants of up to $10,000.
Johnson said the organizations that will receive funds from this tranche of grants are those helping to shelter victims of domestic violence, those providing food, clothing, and essentials to underserved communities, and those helping vulnerable residents with rental and utility assistance.
At Thursday's press conference, Johnson encouraged Dallas residents to donate to both the Mayor's Disaster Relief Fund and the organizations receiving grants.
Johnson said another round of recipients will be announced soon.
To donate to the Fund, click here.
Here is the list of 25 organizations that will receive $20,000 grants from the Mayor’s Disaster Relief Fund Thursday:
- Aunt Bette’s Community Pantry at St. Philip’s School and Community Center serves meals every week to individuals and families in need in South Dallas. The organization has continued serving throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Austin Street Center has specialized in caring for the most vulnerable homeless men and women in Dallas for over 30 years. The organization provides safe shelter and other basic needs.
- Bachman Lake Together is a neighborhood-based collective impact organization that focuses on early childhood education and parent leadership. The organization is currently working with families in the Bachman Lake area to provide emergency financial assistance for expenses such as rent, food, and utilities.
- Brother Bill’s Helping Hand, based in West Dallas, provides food, healthcare, and educational programming to those in need. Its core programs include a grocery store, where neighbors have access to healthy food, ensuring access to quality healthcare for the uninsured, and educational programs, including English classes, computer courses, and fitness programs.
- Carter’s House, headquartered in South Dallas, assists families with school-age children who are in need. The organization provides clothing, including school uniforms, and educational, professional, and parental support programs.
- Catholic Charities of Dallas helps vulnerable residents in our community by offering food distribution, legal services, disaster relief, homelessness and housing services, and more. The organization recently launched a direct assistance program for residents impacted by the recent severe weather and outages.
- Crossroads Community Services’ mission is to nourish our community’s low-income families and individuals by providing nutritious food and supportive education.
- For Oak Cliff is a neighborhood-based collective impact organization that focuses on lifting individuals and families in Dallas out of poverty through education, advocacy, and community building. The organization has recently gone to work obtaining resources — including food, shelter, and other essentials — to residents in need after the severe weather and power outages last week.
- Girls Inc. Dallas partners with schools and other organizations to serve girls ages 6-18 in Dallas, focusing on providing academic, social, and emotional support.
- Harmony Community Development Corporation is located in southern Dallas and operates a food pantry for those in need. The organization also provides rental, mortgage, and utility assistance, as well as counseling services.
- Harvest Project Food Rescue is a volunteer-run organization that was started to fight food insecurity and food waste in the city of Dallas. With the help of community partners, the organization is able to distribute free fresh produce baskets to hundreds of families a month.
- Inspired Vision Compassion Center, located in southeast Dallas, distributes food to families in need. The organization also distributes emergency hygiene products, clothing, school uniforms, first aid supplies, and other essential items.
- Jewish Family Service of Greater Dallas provides professional, effective, and affordable mental health and social services to individuals and families in need. The organization operates a food pantry and also assists with family violence intervention, emergency housing assistance, counseling, and other services.
- Mosaic Family Services is a provider of services such as emergency shelter and counseling, primarily to immigrants and refugees who are victims of violence, including domestic violence and human trafficking.
- Pleasant Grove Food Pantry provides food and other basic necessities to residents in need in Pleasant Grove and surrounding neighborhoods. The organization serves more than 170 families in need each week.
- Services of Hope provides food, essential items, and rental, mortgage, and utility assistance to families in need in Dallas. The organization is currently providing emergency funds for shelter, plumbing, food, rent, utilities, and other services for people affected by the recent winter storms.
- The Stewpot offers a safe haven for homeless and at-risk individuals of Dallas, providing resources for basic survival needs, as well as opportunities to start a new life. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization expanded its meal distributions to include households experiencing food insecurity.
- The Family Place has been helping victims of family violence in Dallas since 1978. The organization provides everything needed to help victims become survivors. The winter storm resulted in major damage to its shelter.
- The Senior Source provides a number of services aimed at improving the quality of life for older adults, caregivers, and families of senior adults in Dallas.
- TR Hoover Community Development Corporation helps families in South Dallas through a number of programs and services. The organization hosts health fairs, community meetings, after-school programs, summer camps, and other events and programming for families in South Dallas and continually works to distribute food and other essential items.
- Vickery Meadow Youth Development Foundation serves the Vickery Meadow area in Dallas, which is a highly diverse, low-income neighborhood in northeast Dallas. In addition to its educational enrichment programs, including early childhood assistance and career preparation, the organization is providing water, food, diapers, rental support, and other services to residents in need.
- Voice of Hope Ministries provides programs, services, and essential items to families in West Dallas. The organization operates a food pantry that provides much-needed food and household items to families every week.
- Wesley-Rankin Community Center is located in West Dallas and aims to identify and bridge gaps in education, health, and skills development for residents through its multi-generational programming. Services include children's education programs, senior programs, daily fellowship, health education, meal distribution, and adult education programs.
- White Rock Center of Hope is a volunteer-run nonprofit that focuses on satisfying the basic needs of people in East Dallas. The organization operates a food pantry and clothes closet and offers services and essential items such as emergency rent and utility assistance, financial aid, and bus passes.
- The Wilkinson Center helps financially insecure residents in East Dallas and southeast Dallas by distributing food, monetary assistance, educational programming, career development, financial literacy classes, and other items and programs. Their stated goal is to help create pathways out of poverty for individuals and families in need.
