Hear the call
Please enjoy this excerpt from the FY21 Impact Report.
“HPUMC partners with United to Learn because we believe education is key to escaping generational poverty. All the children in Dallas are our neighbors, and it is our responsibility and privilege to invest in them!”
Lisa Stewart
Director of Impact
Highland Park United Methodist Church
In the days following Winter Storm Uri, 75 Dallas ISD campuses experienced damage to their facilities and thousands of families endured water and food shortages, freezing temperatures, power outages, and increased instability in already-troubled times.
As freezing temperatures swept the city and tens of thousands of Dallasites were without power, the U2L team mobilized quickly to assess needs and arrange support through community partners and relief organizations. First on the list was to create an interactive Google map to guide our educators and families to available resources like warming centers at Conrad High School, Samuell High School, and YMCAs citywide. As school food distribution efforts were halted, U2L provided groceries and hot meals for students and their family members through collaborations with North Dallas Shared Ministries and Highland Park United Methodist Church. U2L Volunteers loaded and distributed hundreds of grocery bags and boxes throughout apartment complexes in the Bachman Lake area and stocked the shelves at Buckner Community Center for family pick up. Additionally, hundreds of hot meals were shared with Jubilee Community Center, Bachman Lake Together, Literacy Achieves in Vickery Meadow, Highland Meadows, and Wilmer-Hutchins communities.
Through our emergency response efforts in the wake of Winter Storm Uri we deepened our relationships with schools by listening, responding to their needs quickly, and offering critical support when it was needed most. This emergency support came on the heels of delivering technology and other learning resources that schools desperately needed mid-year to reach all learners.
