LOCAL SERVING OPPORTUNITIES

FOR THE NATIONS REFUGEE OUTREACH

MISSION

To provide educational and family services that help meet the practical needs of refugees and to share with them the gospel of Jesus Christ.

For the Nations: Refugee Outreach is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving refugees in the Dallas area. They offer a wide variety of educational programs to help refugees continue in the long process of adapting to life in the United States. They also help families adjust to life in America by advocating for them. Most importantly, they share with refugees the good news of Jesus Christ.

GIVE

For the Nations Refugee Outreach relies on donations from individuals to meet most of our budget needs. We welcome and appreciate your giving and believe it is a fantastic way for you to invest in and create change in the refugee community. To give, you can donate online or via mail. For more information please see their website at ftnro.org/donate.

VOLUNTEER

2025 Refugee Christmas Store | December 8 Deadline

Give a tangible gift to refugee children this Christmas by donating new, unwrapped toys and new children’s coats and shoes! Refugee parents will have the opportunity to shop for and give gifts to their children at very low costs ($0.25-$3). Go to their Amazon Wish List or drop off in the Sanctuary by December 8. Very popular items include remote control cars, dolls, and soccer balls. Email questions to contact@stbartsdallas.org.

2025 Refugee Christmas Store Volunteer | December 13 & 14

Friday, December 13 | Sign up to help sort Christmas toys, shoes, and coats for refugee children. Volunteers must be 15+ years old, and each volunteer must sign up for their own slot.

Saturday, December 14 | Sign up to help parents shop, wrap gifts, and/or supervise children playing at the Christmas carnival. Children under 15 may attend with you, but they will spend their time enjoying the carnival with the other children while you volunteer (no need to sign your younger children up).

Visit our Christmas Store Sign Up to sign up for a time slot!

For more specific information and needs please see their website at ftnro.org.

FTNRO is located at 414 S. Purdue Dr., Garland, TX 75042

For more information about volunteering, feel free to talk with St. Bart’s Esther Luna who teaches beginning adult refugees, or contact@stbartsdallas.org and we’ll give you her contact information.

WHITE ROCK CENTER OF HOPE

MISSION

To connect individuals, communities of faith, and local businesses of East Dallas to the work of providing hope with love through the White Rock Center of Hope.

The White Rock Center of Hope is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and depends upon the contributions of individuals, organizations, and member churches for its financial support.

GIVE

We accept Food Pantry Items & Gently Used Clothes Monday – Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Donation Door. If  you are interested in hosting a food or hygiene drive, meeting our greatest current need, or contributing an item from our wish list, please contact our Executive Director: Greg Smith. The Center’s Thrift Store provides nearly half of its cash revenue. The rest is provided through your generosity and from member organizations, local businesses, and grants. For more information please see their website at whiterockcenterofhope.org.

VOLUNTEER

Join more than 450 local volunteers who provide hope with love to neighbors in need in the East Dallas community. Come once a week, once a month, once in awhile, or every day.  Use your time and talent to make a big impact. Opportunities abound: Thrift Store, Neighbor Services (Food Pantry, Clothing Closet, and Financial Assistance), and Administration.

For more specific information and needs please see their website at whiterockcenterofhope.org.

White Rock Center of Hope is located at 10021 Garland Rd A, Dallas, TX 75218

FORERUNNER MENTORING

MISSION

We exist to fulfill the potential of every young man in Lake Highlands growing up without a father-figure at home by providing mentoring, programs, and family support in the name of Jesus.

GIVE

Your donation would go towards making our programs run and our ability to mentor the boys and families of Lake Highlands. Your gift creates more opportunities for boys in our community to become godly men who will leave behind a generational blessing for their future families. Thank you for sowing seeds. We will be faithful to water them. And God will cause the growth. For more information please see their website at forerunnermentoring.com/donation.

VOLUNTEER

Forerunner Mentoring supports five different programs based on the stage of life of the child. The Foundations Program is for K-2nd to increase reading literacy and teach biblical truths. The Equipping Program is for 3rd-6th grade to practice godly character traits and teach biblical truths. The Development Program is for 7th-8th grade to practice godly character traits and teach life skills. The Mentoring Program is primarily for high school students to build trusting relationships that point toward Jesus Christ and helps fulfill their potential. The Moms Program is to increase relationship and support for single mothers.

Forerunner Mentoring hosts a variety of volunteer opportunities including one-to-one mentoring, after-school mentoring program support, high school ministry, women’s ministry, after school tutoring programs, childcare volunteer, and a general support volunteer. APPLY HERE.

For more specific information and needs please see their website at forerunnermentoring.com.

Forerunner Mentoring is located at 10805 Walnut Hill Ln Dallas, TX 75238

HOW TO HELP WITH AFGHAN REFUGEES

Locally -

  • Refugee Services of Texas is preparing for hundreds of Afghan refugees in need of resettlement - read more in the press release and in this Lake Highlands Advocate article. If you are interested in volunteering or giving, click HERE for the ways you can help.

  • For the Nations Refugee Outreach has had an enormous outpouring of material goods for incoming Afghan families - so much so that they have no more storage, so the best way to support them currently is with donations so they can meet new needs as they arise.

  • Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) is the largest faith-based nonprofit dedicated to serving vulnerable immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees in the U.S. You can donate, or help meet needs on the ground by clicking HERE and selecting the city nearest you.

  • Northwest Community Center in Vickery Meadow exists to AID refugees to start a new life, EMPOWER refugees to thrive in a new culture, and INVITE refugees to experience new life. Click HERE to learn all the ways you can help make a difference.

Globally -

  • International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and gain control of their future. Click HERE to see how you can help their efforts to help Afghans in need.

  • USA for UNHCR protects refugees and empowers them with hope and opportunity. They are with refugees from their greatest time of need – from emergency or crisis and beyond through the months and likely years that many are displaced from their home countries. They give refugees the hope they deserve, restore their dignity and help them rebuild their lives. To find out how you can help in this mission, click HERE.

As we behold the face of God in the face of Christ, we are transformed into his image. This is what it means to be fully human—to become like Jesus, the truly human one, and to grow more and more in the freedom of the children of God.