According to Resource Center Client Services Eligibility Supervisor Gary Benecke,
As a primary LGBTQ non-profit and HIV/AIDS service provider in North Texas, Resource Center is an essential part of the community it serves. Whether it’s providing healthy meals to low-income HIV positive clients or demanding employment protections for LGBTQ individuals, for 38 years Resource Center has been on the frontlines, fighting for equality while meeting the needs of Dallas’ LGBTQ and HIV populations.
Through the years, the Center has equipped thousands of people with the tools they need to live healthy and fulfilling lives. Below is just one of the many lives the Center has impacted, and how it is an essential mainstay in North Texas, as told by Kris:
“A little over a year ago, I got sick. Every time I swallowed, it was like broken glass, and I eventually dropped to 130 lbs. Unable to maintain my work schedule, I was let go from my job at the end of June 2016. When I finally went to the hospital after a month, the doctor told me I was lucky to be alive. He said I had a severe case of pneumonia and my entire body was racked with infections. He went on to say…the cause of all this sickness was full-blown AIDS. Without a job or income, that panic and fear of what I was going to do next were as devastating as the diagnosis. Then a kind case worker gave me a brochure for Resource Center. She gently put her hand on mine and reassuringly told me, ‘They will help you.’
“I will never forget the day I walked through the doors at the Center’s Health Campus. After being told the food pantry was closed for the day, the staff member made a quick phone call and then led me through a door where two volunteers escorted me around the pantry and filled a shopping cart full of groceries.
“Today, their nutrition program plays a vital role in maintaining my healthy lifestyle. The food pantry keeps my kitchen stocked with a balanced variety of the right kinds of food, and the hot meals program serves nutritious and delicious meals! All of this has helped me regain weight to a now healthy 175 lbs. I truly will never forget the life-saving kindness of Resource Center.”
If you want to support the needs of LGBTQ and HIV communities in Dallas, please consider making a gift at www.myresourcecenter.org/give Virtual volunteer by becoming a Social Ambassador for Resource Center. Contact Marketing and Communications Manager Jennifer Collins at [email protected] for more details.
*Graphic and photo provided by Resource Center