Dec. 2008 Neighbors to go © 2008
The
Dallas Morning News, Inc., subsidiary of A.H. Belo Corp. All Rights
Reserved.
You don’t have to go far to make a difference. In fact, our area offers
unlimited possibilities for giving back. But one segment of society that
is very often overlooked, are men newly released from prison.
One Man’s Treasure Clothes Closet of Rockwall was created so that these
men could have a second chance at becoming productive members of society.
Rockwall resident Mary Carter, who runs the program, says that giving these men
clothes is the first step in getting them back on their feet.
“How are they supposed to get a job, create a life for themselves and not
end up back in prison when they don’t have anything to wear except the clothes
on their backs,” she said. “We saw a need and set out to meet it.”
The group is part of a larger organization called Freedom in Community
Restorative Ministry (FCRM), a nonprofit whose goal is to link the prison
population with faith-based community groups.
“My husband Dick started FCRM with two other men in 2001,” she said. “As a
result of that involvement and a lot of trial and error, we finally opened this
space in January, 2007… but really, it wasn’t anything I was prepared for.
I just felt in my heart that I was being called.”
When a man is released from a Texas prison, he receives a used pair of pants,
a used shirt, $50 and a bus ticket. One Man’s Treasure seeks to empower
these individuals by providing them with clothing so they can get a job and get
on with their lives.
“It’s a head start on the road to self-sufficiency,” she said. “We just
finished our big coat drive and collected 650 men’s coats….We average clothing
deliveries to 50 men a month; we service Dallas, Kaufman, Collin and Rockwall
counties. In fact, we’ve adopted seven transition houses in the area and clothe
all of their men.”
Each man is given two pairs of pants, five shirts, a pair of shoes, five new
pairs of socks and underwear, one t-shirt, and depending on seasonal needs, a
coat, hat and gloves.
Last year, the organization delivered 2,255 shirts, 2,255 pairs of socks and
underwear, 902 pairs of pants, 451 pairs of shoes and 451 t-shirts. Today,
they have over 100 volunteers.
“Anybody is welcome,” she said. “Volunteers can even stop by, get a basket
of pants, take them home, measure them for sizing and then bring them back… and
we love donations: clean men’s shirts, belts, pants, coats, shoes, new
socks and underwear, but please, no suits.”
Visit
www.onemanstr.org or call 1-888-433-9826.