DALLAS — Mary O’Connor has been a volunteer with Our Calling for five years. The homeless service is a Christian nonprofit organization that provides solutions for the unsheltered homeless community.
They not only send out search and rescue teams but provide programs that redirect homeless people to rehabilitation centers, detox treatments centers and more. The service even has an app that allows you to identify the closest homeless resources such as local shelters, pantries, domestic abuse shelters and so on.
Mary says it’s her faith and love for the Lord that motivates her to “love her neighbor” despite their socioeconomic status.
"This gives me a chance to meet some new people, make some new friends, engage our homeless friends and just have some fun,” O’Connor said. “[We] are able to make them feel like they have a place at a table where they can feel great.”
Our Calling serves the homeless daily but for the Thanksgiving holiday they are giving back to those who need it most, allowing each person more than one plate of food.
“If I was sitting in their shoes, what would mean the most to me? It would be community and feeling like I belonged,” O’Connor said. "I could get off the streets for a day and have a nice meal and feel loved and pray with people, especially this week with it being Thanksgiving. Sometimes I think they may be feeling like they don’t have a lot to be thankful for, so being able to be here with them and giving them something to give them hope and make them feel thankful to what they’re given today means a lot.”
Harold Lewis is a part of the homeless community. He visits Our Calling frequently and is thankful for volunteers like O’Connor.
“[For] two reasons. It’s run in an intelligent way,” Lewis stated. “It’s run in a fashion that helps people, and they want to help you. When I walked in, I felt like I was in a five-star restaurant. It was awesome.”
The need for volunteers goes beyond Thanksgiving. O'Connor serves on their search and rescue team once a month. She says she’ll continue to serve and love people where they’re at.
To volunteer or learn more about Our Calling and their mission, click here.