Dallas Co. Juvenile Probation ‘store’ offers food and clothing for youth families in need

By David N. Krough, TJJD Communications —

Dallas County Juvenile Probation Services staff want to make sure that youth they serve can complete their educational and treatment programs successfully and many times, it’s the little things that help out families who may be otherwise struggling to just get by.

They have a robust onsite clothing free store and food pantry that have been helping out youths and their families there for nearly a decade.

Two rooms in their facility are set up much like small stores, with clothing racks and in the food pantry, shelving and a freezer. They are able to distribute frozen meat, fruit and many non-perishable items as their clientele varies by week.

Staff started the clothing program around 10 years ago, the food pantry was started around 2017, when the county wrote a grant to the Youth Services Advisory Board

Deputy Director of Education Karen Ramos says they use “juror funds” to purchase groceries and clothing. These funds come from victim-restitution judgments decided by juries. The Youth Services Advisory Board juror funds donate about $14,000 annually for the food pantry and about $5,000 annually for the clothing closet.

Probation staff members also raise money to support the pantry by holding food drives.

They also have an infant and children’s clothing section, because some of the girls they serve are expecting and they are able to go shopping for their own baby shower.

Families are able to choose unlimited clothing. Winter coats, however, are usually in short supply and limited.

“We started to see the need across the county with kids not having school uniforms or not having (uniform) shoes,” Ramos said. “We wrote a grant application … it’s basically the juror funds. And we get some money every month and we use part of that money to buy clothes and part of that money to buy food.”

Anyone with a child in contact with the juvenile justice department is eligible to participate. On average, they help out at least 30 families weekly and often times, many more.

In the past, local grocery stores, a nearby chicken processor and even a cleaner in the neighborhood have donated to the program. Ramos says their most successful food drives come from having the probation districts compete to pitch in.

“We tell them exactly what we want, either pancakes and syrup, or spaghetti and spaghetti sauce, or cereal and we have a really good turnout,” Ramos said. “Even the D.A. has given.”

During Thanksgiving and Christmas, many local churches have donated turkeys, which are added on to their weekly grocery trip.

“Even if (families) are angry at the juvenile department because their kids are detained, when they come here and they get (food or clothing) they hug you or they cry,” Ramos said. “They’re very, very appreciative. Besides helping the family, it’s a really goodwill-developing situation.”