DALLAS COUNTY, Texas — There’s not much left to salvage of the Historic Sandbranch Community Center. Almost two weeks after the building burned down - old records, charred wood and a chair are among the debris still scattering the lot.
“It’s really tough for all the people that have been through here,” said one long-time resident known affectionately as Little Sean. "To see it destroyed like this is something else.”
For the past two years - Camilla Gallegos and her charity Struggle Riderz have used the center for outreach.
"We come out every second Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.," Gallegos said. "We pass out water, hot meals and produce bags."
It's a small bit of relief for a community that hasn’t had running water in decades.
"No community should be without running water, and no community should have to live in the state in which the community lives here," Gallegos said.
The wells of the former freedman’s town are contaminated, there’s no water infrastructure and because its located on a flood plain. There isn't hope for development.
It's one of the reasons why residents have to rely on organizations like Struggle Riderz for potable water.
"People have mistreated Sandbranch for so long that it's become a normal just to overlook it," Gallegos said.
But Gallagos doesn’t want them overlooked this time.
"In a perfect world, we'd be able to get this cleaned up, restart our community service here at 404 S. Lake Street and hope for a new center to be built," she said.
She said she's skeptical about that happening, but vows to improvise however necessary so they can continue to serve the Sandbranch community.
"If we can help out just a little by one hot meal a month, then we'll help out how we can," Gallegos said.