DALLAS — Dallas-based Project Unity will host a free community COVID-19 vaccination event for South Dallas residents at St. Luke Community United Methodist Church on Friday, April 2.
"Together We Vaccinate" will partner with Project Unity founder and St. Luke pastor Richie Butler and Catalyst Health Network to set up a drive-thru vaccination event that will bring shots to thousands of residents who are desperately in need of close vaccination sites, according to a news release sent Wednesday.
This event is one of the first community-based sites in a critical ZIP code to host a vaccine distribution event. Residents will receive the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine Friday, and get the second dose April 23 again at St. Luke.
To register beforehand, residents must be 18 years or older and bring a valid ID and copy of their registration to the church. Registrants must sign up for one of six time blocks here. The event will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
If you can't make it to Friday's event, there will be a second "Together We Vaccinate" event on Sat. April 10, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Southwest Center Mall (Red Bird Mall), where residents can get their first Pfizer dose. If you choose to go to this event, your second vaccine dose will be administered at Southwest Center Mall on Sat., May 1, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sign up for that event here.
The City of Dallas will provide free Uber rides to anyone who needs them for these events.
Project Unity was among the first local groups to host COVID-19 testing events. Now, it’s among the first neighborhood-centered sites to host vaccine distribution.
According to a recent investigation from WFAA, 27% of Texans living in the wealthiest 1% of ZIP codes have gotten at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine compared to just 12% for the poorest 1% of ZIP codes.
Butler spoke to WFAA earlier in March about that vaccine disparity.
“Some of this is, you know, not ill will. I think is structural,” Butler, told WFAA. “Unfortunately, life is not fair, and I think it's quite evident from who's received the vaccines and who's sort of been left out.”
RELATED: North Texas vaccines are going to mostly white, wealthy residents, according to state, federal data
Butler believes the planning for vaccinating started too late.
“You would assume that you have a game plan that would sort of effectively level the playing field,” he said. “We knew when this pandemic hit us that people of color, African Americans, Latinos would be disproportionately impacted.”
