Charitable Competition

Why your vote matters in the first-ever CultureMap Charity Challenge

Charitable giving, whether you donate time or money, certainly is a year-round endeavor. But during the holidays, we are most inspired by the efforts of local nonprofits that continually better our community and the world.

Few cities can compete with Dallas when it comes to philanthropic spirit. To honor that, we have partnered Briggs Freeman Sotheby International Realty to bring you the first-ever CultureMap Charity Challenge.

Here's the lowdown: We have selected 12 local charities. You vote for your favorite every day, once a day, through December 20. The organization with the most votes will become CultureMap's community service project for 2014. Plus, we're throwing in a $2,500 cash donation and an advertising package. The winner will be announced January 6.

Vote now for one of these deserving organizations:

American Red Cross, which provides compassionate care for those in need through disaster relief, supporting America’s military families, lifesaving blood donations, health and safety services, and international services.
A.W.A.R.E., which promotes Alzheimer's awareness and financial support for its parent organization, the Alzheimer's Association.
Carry The Load, whose mission is to restore the meaning of Memorial Day and honor fallen heroes, veterans, active duty military, firefighters, law enforcement and rescue personnel through a national rally.
LEAP Foundation, which transforms the lives of children and adults around the world who have severe facial or body deformities by providing free specialized medical services.
Men of Nehemiah, which serves homeless and incarcerated men with addictive disorders by providing residential accommodations, substance abuse treatment, life skills and job placement training, case management, and recovery support services.
SPCA of Texas, which is dedicated to providing every animal exceptional care and a loving home.
Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, which improves the care of children worldwide through innovative research and teaching programs, and teaching physicians from around the world.
The Birthday Party Project, which partners with accredited homeless shelters to host themed birthday parties for the children living there.
The Family Place, which empowers victims of family violence by providing safe housing, counseling and skills that create independence while building community engagement and advocating for social change to stop family violence.
The Salvation Army, which operates 7,500 centers across the United States that provide food distribution, disaster relief, rehabilitation centers, anti-human trafficking efforts and children’s programs.
The Trinity Trust, whose mission is to partner with the City of Dallas and other nonprofit groups to achieve the highest standards of excellence in all aspects of the Trinity River Corridor Project.
The Wilkinson Center, a poverty rescue and prevention agency for the working poor that assists more than 14,000 people annually in Dallas. The center provides compassion, community and financial responsibility to empower their clients to become self-sufficient and improve their lives.

Now it's really up to you, so get to it. As you learn more about these nonprofits, we hope you'll find one — or several – to support this holiday and throughout the coming year. If we all do that, then everyone is a winner.

The Salvation Army

Photo courtesy of Salvation Army

The Salvation Army

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Free Food

Food Bank to host summer food giveaway at UNT Dallas campus

Photo by Michael Martin

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Two Dallas organizations are partnering on a big summer food giveaway: The North Texas Food Bank is joining forces with the University of North Texas at Dallas (UNT Dallas) with a mobile food distribution event at the UNT Dallas campus on Friday, July 18.

UNT Dallas and the NTFB already host a drive-through mobile pantry each month, but this one is specifically focused on children who are out of school for the summer.

Each participating family will receive about 60 pounds of food, including fresh produce, to help fill the gap left when school-provided meals are unavailable.

So far this year, the monthly mobile pantry events at UNT Dallas have provided approximately 140,000 pounds of food to more than 1,500 families and 7,000 people. Long lines usually form on University Hills Blvd. well before the gates open.

UNT Dallas has partnered with NTFB since 2020, hosting monthly mobile food distributions on campus. Each event is supported by student, faculty, and staff volunteers, providing relief to campus and community members. The university also operates the Trailblazers Care Pantry, an on-campus resource that provides groceries, hygiene products, and a Career Closet for students preparing for interviews or internships.

A recent Feeding America study found that Texas has the highest number of food-insecure people of any state, and the Dallas-Fort Worth area ranks third in the nation. Within NTFB’s 12-county service area, nearly 744,000 people, including more than 250,000 children, don’t always know where their next meal will come from. Over 60 percent of that population lives in Dallas County.

The July 18 food distribution is first-come, first-served, and no ID or pre-registration is required. Participants must arrive in a vehicle, as this is a drive-through-only event. It'll run from 8-11 am, or while supplies last, at the UNT Dallas campus in southern Dallas, at 7300 University Hills Blvd.

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