CARROLLTON, Texas — For the first time in more than 30 years, Metrocrest Services' holiday store is under its own roof.
The facility, located in Carrollton, serves families in parts of northern Dallas County with food and gifts for the holidays.
Ella Ware visited Metrocrest's shop before Christmas.
"I just appreciate everything that's going on and for God blessing people like this, to help us out," Ware said. "I was really stressed out with not being able to provide them with any gifts, and I didn't think that was fair to them because I'm the adult and I'm supposed to be able to make sure that their life goes seamless, have fun, and just be a and then child."
The need for services provided by organizations like Metrocrest has been on the rise since the pandemic -- a sign that volunteers like Dick Selby, who has been a volunteer since 2016, have noticed.
"(At) Agencies like the North Texas Food Bank and Metrocrest Services (are) experiencing a whole lot more inflow from people who previously might not have been food insecure."
Ware is grateful for the blessing and its timing.
"The fact that Metrocrest gave me the opportunity to bring my boys up here to be able to get gifts has actually made me really happy," Ware said. "And the fact that I see how happy they are to pick out their gifts...that's even better."
Caitlin Hardegree, Metrocrest Services' Director of Communications and Marketing, said the demand for help has tripled since the pandemic.
"Everything that we do here, we want to make sure is done with dignity and respect. So you'll see here in the holiday store, it's almost set up like a regular toy shop. And that's the goal - we want someone to walk in and shop like they're shopping at any other store," Hardegree said.
That detail is important to families like the Wares.
"My children are picky, and they don't always eat everything, so the fact that I'm about to get the canned green beans and the fresh produce and then the fruits and the vegetables and things like that, and even the meat, they provide you with meat because that is the most expensive thing at the grocery store," Ware said.
"So to be able to do that and then take it home and make a meal out of it, and actually get things that you know your family is going to eat and not waste and throw away is a big plus for me," Ware said.
Workers and volunteers at Metrocrest Services said they're fortunate to provide the resources they can even as the need grows.
"Oh, we get paid because we get smiles and hugs, and that's part of the reward of it. And to see healthy food going out into cars," Selby said.
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