CitySquare

Dear CitySquare Supporters, With a mix of gratitude and sadness, we write to share the news that CitySquare has completed the transition of our vital programming to partner organizations. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to our CEO, Annam Manthiram, and the entire CitySquare Leadership team, for ensuring a seamless transitioning of our programming, and thus ensuring that our services continue, and our neighbors are not impacted. This decision did not come easily and was reached after careful consideration of our organization’s financial sustainability, ongoing challenges, and our commitment to ensuring a responsible conclusion to our mission. For 36 years, CitySquare has been privileged to serve our neighbors in their greatest time of need. Thanks to supporters and partners like you, we have made an enormous impact in the fight against poverty. Just over this past year alone, your steadfast support helped us to provide: - ~3 million pounds of groceries, including over 400,000 after-school and summer meals for children - Housing for 600+ neighbors - Health insurance enrollment by our Health Navigators for ~300 neighbors - ~300 AmeriCorps members enrolled in a term of service However, despite these successes, changes in our funding streams made it increasingly difficult to continue delivering on our mission effectively. We want to assure you that we took the time to wind down operations thoughtfully, notably to transition our programming to like-minded organizations to preserve the work we’ve started. To our donors, partners, and community: We extend our deepest gratitude. Your belief in our work has been the driving force behind every success we’ve celebrated. The legacy of your support will continue to resonate in the lives and communities we’ve touched. To Larry James: Thank you for steadfast, inspirational, and courageous leadership, putting your faith into action, and transforming Central Dallas Ministries into the leading poverty fighting organization in Dallas. You have helped thousands and thousands of our neighbors with meals, housing and rental assistance, health care, employment training, legal services…and your impact continues on as we “pass the baton” to our partner organizations. Though this chapter is coming to a close, we are excited that the mission and values that guided CitySquare will live on. We encourage you to continue supporting organizations doing vital work in our shared area of passion. See www.citysquare.org for a list of the partner organizations who have taken on our programming. Thank you for being part of this journey. It has been an honor to serve alongside you in creating positive change. With heartfelt appreciation and best wishes, The CitySquare Board of Directors

We need volunteers to help in the Food Pantry from December 3-20! We have 2 shifts available Tuesday through Friday from 8:30am until 11:30am and 11am until 2:30pm. Please click https://lnkd.in/gteQD4v to see available shifts and sign up! Thank you for helping us serve our community during the holiday season.

Temporary Change of Business Operating Hours During the Month of December   Beginning December, in partnership with Crossroads, Empowering the Masses, North Texas Food Bank, and The Stewpot, CitySquare has adjusted business operating hours to ensure that neighbors receive the food and resources they need during the holiday season.    NEW Food Pantry HOURS *No appointment needed Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM Friday-pre-packaged boxed food ONLY distributed 11:30 AM-2:00 PM   NEW Neighbor Resource Center Hours *No appointment needed Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM Located inside of food pantry   Key points about Food Pantry change: - No appointments needed: No appointments are needed for the month of December to shop in the food pantry. - Existing appointments cancelled: Any neighbor with an appointment during the month of December can shop during the new food pantry hours: 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM- Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday - Friday food distribution: Pre-packaged boxed food will only be provided on Fridays. Neighbors will not be able to shop in the food pantry. Click here for more information: www.citysquare.org/food NUEVO HORARIO de Despensa de Alimentos *No se necesita cita previa Martes, Miércoles y Jueves 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM Viernes SOLO alimentos en caja preenvasados distribuido 11:30 AM-2:00 PM   NUEVO Horario del Centro de Recursos para Vecinos *No se necesita cita previa Martes, Miércoles y Jueves 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM Ubicado dentro de la despensa de alimentos   Puntos clave sobre el cambio de Food Pantry: -No se necesitan citas: No se necesitan citas para el mes de diciembre para comprar en la despensa de alimentos. -Citas existentes canceladas: Cualquier vecino que tenga una cita durante el mes de diciembre puede comprar durante el nuevo horario de despensa de alimentos: 9:00 a. m. - 2:00 p. m. - martes, miércoles y jueves -Distribución de alimentos los viernes: los alimentos en cajas preenvasadas solo se proporcionarán los viernes. Los vecinos no podrán entrar a la despensa de alimentos.

We wanted to provide you with a quick update. As you know, CitySquare’s operations will be ending on 11/22, and the original sale was expected to be completed on 11/27, with Food Pantry and Neighbor Resource Center services transferring to The Stewpot on 12/2. We have been working with The Stewpot to finalize the sale of the Opportunity Center, and our teams have been working together to transition our onsite Food Pantry and Neighbor Resource Center to The Stewpot. The Stewpot is pursuing additional environmental testing, which has pushed our timeline out a bit further. Our proposed scheduled close will be 12/13, which means that The Stewpot will not be able to operate our Food Pantry and Neighbor Resource Center until 12/16. This timeline assumes, of course, that the result of the additional environmental due diligence is satisfactory to all parties. Although this was unexpected, CitySquare has pivoted and partnered with South Dallas nonprofits to ensure that our neighbors receive the food and resources they need during the holiday season, and that our staff are not out of work next month. We are grateful for the partnership of Crossroads, Empowering the Masses, North Texas Food Bank and The Stewpot to ensure we have a plan for our neighbors. Please click the link below for updated Food Pantry operations. CitySquare is also working with staff to ensure that they will not be financially impacted by this delay. CitySquare and The Stewpot remain committed to ensuring that the sale of the building is successful, and the Stewpot is committed to continuing the Neighbor Resource Center and the Food Pantry upon the completion of the sale. How can you help during these final weeks? Volunteer to help us serve neighbors between December 3-December 20. Click here to VOLUNTEER: https://lnkd.in/gteQD4v Click here for more transition information: https://lnkd.in/gWJjehMP Click here for more on Food Pantry Hours of Operation: https://lnkd.in/gzJbPhrm

Read our update for program and staff transitions that occurred during the month of September; including our housing programs A Way Home, Dallas R.E.A.L. Time Rapid Rehousing and the selection of the Destination Home program recipients. Thus far, all programs that were not set to end because of a grant ending have transitioned to other neighbor-centered partner agencies, which is a huge testament to our commitment to ensuring this transition is thoughtful and intentional, and our partner community’s commitment to our neighbors. We could not have done this alone – thank you to our partners and funders for supporting us through this continued transition. Click here to learn more: https://lnkd.in/gWJjehMP

The decision to wind down CitySquare was made in May 2024 after a lot of study by Manthiram, the board of directors and her leadership team. They considered a variety of scenarios, ranging from keeping some programs while spinning off others, to what was eventually decided: closing down completely but first turning programs over to other entities. “We had two goals,” she said. “One was to preserve as much of the programming as possible, and two was to ensure our employees had somewhere to go. And doing it this way satisfied both those goals with minimal impact.” Link to the full article: https://lnkd.in/gCkgf6Hj #CitySquare #transitionstory #partnerorganizations #neighborsfirst

We were thrilled to welcome the Dallas Mavericks staff for a day of service at the #CitySquare #FoodPantry! They helped our neighbors shop, beautified our campus, packed our mobile food deliveries and surprised us with a $5,000 donation! Thank you Cynt Marshall and #dallasmavericks for helping us serve our community today and through this transition ahead. #GoMavs #CommunityImpact #dayofservice If you want to volunteer or bring a group to volunteer check out our opportunities at: https://lnkd.in/gteQD4v

Read our update for program and staff transitions that occurred during the month of August. We also had the opportunity this past week to welcome current and former employees of Central Dallas Ministries and CitySquare back to the Opportunity Center for a reunion. We invited attendees to wear their favorite poverty fighter shirts, share stories, and browse through past artifacts (photos included!) from the organization’s history. Staff were encouraged to take home items that resonated with their time here. We remain grateful to those before us, who were instrumental in the shaping of our mission and its impact on thousands of our neighbors. Link to transition news here: https://lnkd.in/gWJjehMP #CitySquare #DallasTX #communityfirst #transitionannouncement #monthlynews #partnerorganizations

North Texas Food Bank's Peanut Butter Drive is September 1-30 and CitySquare is an official collection site. Drop off plastic jars of peanut or alternative nut butter at our location so we can provide our neighbors with this highly requested item! Thank you for helping serve our neighbors! 1610 S. Malcolm X Blvd. Dallas, TX 75226 Donate: 8am until 4pm Tuesday through Friday #CitySquare #partnerorganizations #communityimpact #foodpantry #resources

As I reflect back on my one year with CitySquare, I am proud that I accomplished much of what I set out to do here. I wanted to create a community and culture that embodied our founder’s original values. A culture that amplified our neighbors, and their stories and voices, while honoring the hard work and compassion of our teams. We’ve done this. Even while we transition, our staff remain dedicated and vigilant. They care so much about our work, and they have committed to transitioning our programs with dignity and grace. They trust me, our Board and leadership team, and the decisions we are making. I also wanted to ensure that I did what I could to strengthen the existing continuum around poverty alleviation and homelessness, and that resources were being leveraged in order to maximize impact. We are doing this through our partnership with The Stewpot. Even though it was a difficult and painful decision to close, in this transition, we are stepping aside to allow a stronger, more financially stable partner to not only continue the work on our campus, but to also magnify it. Through The Stewpot’s many services, as well as its partner-centered approach, I believe that our neighbors will receive even more of the wraparound support they need. When the Board hired me last August, they shared how important CitySquare was to the community and the people it served. I am encouraged that even though CitySquare’s name won’t be on the building next year, its legacy will be felt for years to come. The work we’re doing to step aside is truly “righting the ship” in an unexpected and humbling way. My time with CitySquare is coming to an end in December, yet I am grateful for the many friends I’ve made – the tears and joy that we’ve shared over these many months. My heart is at once both sad and hopeful for what may come next for me in my journey. My two boys, ages 15 and 11, remind me every day of God’s faithfulness. He won’t let you down, they say. Look at what He’s done through you, for our neighbors. Wisdom often comes in the most startling places. I can see God’s glory shining brightly through this transition. Warmly, Annam Manthiram CEO, CitySquare