DALLAS — A Dallas-area pastor and his church members are working to address some community needs, as COVID-19 restrictions and orders continue to be enforced.
Pastor Clarence Glover Jr. and members of The First African Freedom Church of Dallas are on a mission to make sure members of certain communities have access to personal protective equipment like face coverings.
“Come get your free mask,” Pastor Glover shouted from a bullhorn, as he pulled into a parking lot outside of a liquor store in South Dallas.
Glover began passing out free bandanas to a crowd that started walking up to his vehicle. He had hundreds of bandanas to pass out to people in the area.
“Stay safe,” Glover told the people. “Be safe!”
Glover has been driving the streets and passing out the bandanas since local government leaders began encouraging people to use face coverings for protection. Wearing face coverings or masks in essential businesses became part of an order in Dallas County on Saturday.
The pastor said he wants to make sure some of the city’s most vulnerable residents have basic items to help protect themselves and others from either catching or spreading coronavirus.
Glover said, “When they see the pastor mobile coming, with the ‘pastor’ in the front, they know that somebody is coming to help them.”
Members of The First African Freedom Church are taking new bed sheets and cutting them into squares, in order to make bandana-style face coverings.
”Most individuals can’t afford the masks,” Glover explained. “But anyone can make these.”
The church hopes passing out the free bandanas will help in areas where residents say the government’s messages of COVID-19 restrictions and personal precautions haven’t been widely spread.
Glover says his church is mainly donating the bandanas to the homeless, to the poor, and to those residents in communities that are often ignored.
"For some of these individuals, they have no place to go. This is their home, some of them, on the streets," he said.
Some neighbors believe the street ministry can be significant in times like this.
Glover is encouraging others to help.
"We have to inspire them, encourage them. Give them a sense of hope," he said.
Glover said his church members could use donations of new bed sheets to help make more bandanas. Anyone interested in helping can contact him by email at ClarenceGloverJr@aol.com.
