Keep Irving Beautiful and Irving Public Library Christmas Card Project Sets Record

IRVING, TEXAS — The 4th annual “Christmas Cards for Seniors” project, a partnership between Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) and the Irving Public Library, set a record with nearly 1,300 Christmas cards collected. Volunteers were encouraged to create or purchase Christmas cards to be delivered to local nursing home residents. Cards could be dropped off at the KIB office or any of the three Irving Public Library locations. The initiative brought together a diverse group of volunteers, contributing to the record number of cards collected for seniors in Irving.

Special thanks go to the following who helped make the holiday season merry and bright for our seniors: Mayor Rick Stopfer and his wife Melanie; Irving Girl Scout Troops 1810, 6457 and 6458; City of Irving after-school programs at Georgia Farrow, Lee and Northwest Recreation Centers and the Adult Day Therapeutic Program; Nimitz High School; Irving High School AVID students; Lamar Middle School; Coppell High School 9^th Grade Center; Lively Elementary School; and the many individuals who anonymously dropped off cards at library locations. In addition, the Nimitz Floral Department donated 60 ornaments made by students.

“We were overwhelmed by the support we received from the Irving community the first time we did this card campaign in 2021,” said KIB Board member Karen Harmon.   “The number of cards has increased each year, and this allows us to deliver more cards to more residents in assisted living facilities here in Irving.  The seniors love getting them, and on their behalf, we thank everyone who contributed.”

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Keep Irving Beautiful is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the community about litter abatement, recycling, and beautification to help preserve the health and promote the social and economic prosperity of the city. As an award-winning affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and Keep Texas Beautiful, Keep Irving Beautiful reaches out to all sectors of the community, including government, businesses, churches, as well as cultural, educational, neighborhood and civic organizations. For more information on volunteering with KIB or making an activity a “green event,” visit CityofIrving.org/KIB or call (972) 721-2175.

Timber Creek High School’s Andi Gowins announced as Ultimate Team Mom

Once again, ¡Yo Quiero! teamed with Dave Campbell’s Texas Football to honor some of Texas high school football’s most important figures — team moms! Throughout the season ¡Yo Quiero! recognized moms that go above and beyond to support their teams. Together with Dave Campbell’s Texas Football crew, they travelled to games around the state as they honored these deserving individuals during the 2024 Texas high school football season! Winning the votes for Ultimate Team Mom is Timber Creek High School team mom Andi Gowins.

“We appreciate the commitment and passion of all team moms year-round,” said Tara Murray, Vice President of Marketing for ¡Yo Quiero! “High School Football is a cultural cornerstone in North Texas, and we fully support those who make such a positive impact in the community.”

In the lead-up to the big Ultimate Team Mom Award, ten exceptional moms from across Texas were recognized with the Team Mom Appreciation Award. Each selected mom received an award and a $500 donation to her school during the legendary Friday Night Lights, when Texas high school football takes center stage.

Winners each week included:

• Donna Torrez of Lubbock Estacado
• Melisse Stanzione of Lubbock-Cooper
• Lecya Janak of Prosper Rock Hill
• Andi Gowins of Keller Timber Creek
• Rocio Matta of Byron Nelson
• Angie Allen of Pearland
• Wendy Lucas of Lake Highlands
• Natoshia Cornelious of Denton Braswell
• Heidi Wilburn of Aledo
• Kristin Powers of Grapevine

ABOUT Dave Campbell Texas Football

For over 65 years, the iconic Dave Campbell’s Texas Football media brand has been “the bible” for millions of football fans across Texas. Its annual summer edition is essential reading for rabid football fans, previewing every high school and college team in the state. Known for its comprehensive coverage, TexasFootball.com offers extensive digital content, including team and recruit rankings, scores, exclusive interviews, podcasts, and daily shows. Additionally, TexanLive.com streams over 1,500 live sporting events each year, bringing fans closer to the action.

About ¡Yo Quiero!

¡Yo Quiero! Brands is a Texas-based avocado, guacamole, and dip company with state-of-the-art facilities in Rhome, Texas and Guanajuato, Mexico. With a mission of selecting and growing the freshest and finest ingredients, ¡Yo Quiero! creates delicious, hand-crafted products that can be found in most local retailers. Bringing years of experience and dip expertise to the category, ¡Yo Quiero! leads and innovates with integrity and passion. The current lineup of premium handcrafted dips can be viewed on our website. For additional information, recipes, or product availability, please visit www.yoquierobrands.com

WITH THE PEPPERMINT HOT COCOA BLIZZARD TREAT AND THE DQ FROZEN HOT CHOCOLATE 

Here’s a holly, jolly grand finale to 2024, the Peppermint Hot Cocoa Blizzard® Treat. This festive treat for the holiday season is available exclusively as the Blizzard Treat of the Month for December. 

The Peppermint Hot Cocoa Blizzard Treat is a merry blend of DQ signature world-famous soft serve, real peppermint candy cane pieces, chocolate chunks and cocoa fudge and then garnished with whipped topping and candy cane sprinkles. Every spoonful delivers a cozy, creamy burst of holiday flavor guaranteed to make the season bright.

"Texans love their Blizzard Treats, and the Peppermint Hot Cocoa Blizzard is a fan favorite during the holidays," said Lou Romanus, CEO of the Texas Dairy Queen Operators’ Council. "It's the perfect way to add a little sweetness to your celebrations."

Available at participating DQ locations throughout Texas, the Peppermint Hot Cocoa Blizzard Treat is available through January 6. 

Another delicious treat is the Frozen Hot Chocolate which will be available through February 24. This delicious drink blends hot cocoa fudge with the DQ world-famous vanilla soft serve and the signature Misty® Slush, garnished with a whipped topping and a chocolaty drizzle. 

Whether you're celebrating the season with friends, picking up dessert for a family gathering, or simply treating yourself, the Peppermint Hot Cocoa Blizzard Treat and Frozen Hot Chocolate are holiday must-haves.

To be the first to learn about Blizzard of the Month flavors, new product news from the Texas Dairy Queen Operators’ Council or find a store location, follow us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook or visit dqtexas.com.

About Texas Dairy Queen Operators’ Council 
There are few brands as iconic as the DQ brand. Innovative DQ treats and eats, along with the unique DQ restaurant concepts, have positioned DQ restaurants in Texas as a leader in the quick service restaurant industry. The Texas Dairy Queen Operators' Council is a nonprofit organization made up of DQ franchisees operating in Texas. The Council develops the advertising and marketing program for DQ franchisees in Texas and controls the Texas Country Foods menu along with managing supply/distribution for the nearly 600 DQ restaurants in Texas. The DQ restaurants in Texas are franchised by American Dairy Queen Corporation and the DQ franchise system includes approximately 7,000 franchised locations in the United States, Canada, and more than 20 other countries, including the nearly 600 DQ restaurants in Texas. 

Non-profit provides opportunity for parents to ‘shop’ for their children and opportunity for senior citizens to feel remembered; store is a product of generosity of North Texas, and helps most vulnerable know we all care.

Metrocrest Services is opening a unique holiday store – and it has a lot less to do with buying things than it does with giving. Through this unique holiday experience, North Texans play the role of Santa to those in need – and that’s more people than ever, as Metrocrest Services has experienced a 31% increase in the volume of clients it serves over the past 16 months.

Metrocrest Services has opened the holiday store through December 18 to invited clientele – people who might have feared the season’s spirit had passed them by. In a year where many are hard-hit by rising rent and utility costs, as well as high food and medication prices, the holiday season can feel anything but bright when every day is a struggle. Stepping inside the Metrocrest Services Holiday Store, a brightly decorated wonderland of toys, clothing, household items and other donated gifts, it’s easy to think you might have been transported to the North Pole.

In the holiday store, parents and seniors can find many great gifts for their family members in need while having the dignity to shop for and select those gifts just like anyone else. The difference in this store? No money is exchanged for those gifts – just smiles and hugs. Parents can choose items ranging from warm coats and winter accessories, including gloves and hats, to toys, bikes, books and more for their kiddos. 

Clients can look around and shop, often with the help of a volunteer, with no money exchanged. This special initiative will serve more than 2,500 children and seniors this year with new gifts generously provided by donations to Metrocrest Services. There is an ongoing need for toys and other items to stock the store, and the community is invited to be involved in helping to stock it. Metrocrest Services maintains a wishlist of items to help ensure the store stays stocked.

"Metrocrest Services was a huge relief around the holidays,” said Claudia, a local mother and client of Metrocrest Services who felt immense gratitude and relief by receiving assistance during the holiday season. “I had a sudden loss of income and they helped all my four of my children with gifts." 

"I visited the Metrocrest Services holiday store because this year is a little bit harder for me to be able to afford Christmas gifts for my kids. So I'm grateful to be able to come in and use this opportunity to get some help,” said Riley, a client of Metrocrest Services who also visited the store last year.

"This has been the best Christmas I've had in a long time,” said a local senior citizen who received a personalized senior gift basket through Metrocrest Services.

Seniors and Teens Often Forgotten 

Among the hardest hit this year are North Texas senior citizens, who struggle to meet skyrocketing cost of living increases when on fixed incomes. 

“I was retired but with the economy the way it was, I found that I had to go back to work,” said Patrice, a client of Metrocrest Services who reached out to the agency for assistance.  “I had more bills than money, and I needed help because I’d been out of work for so long. The door was closed everywhere I went.”

Metrocrest Services staff helped Patrice understand how her talents could be applied and assisted her with her resume and job coaching, and now she’s back on the path to self-sufficiency. But for far too many seniors, they have to make difficult choices between things like medication or food. During the holiday season, this hits particularly hard, especially if they have no one else to help them or even to celebrate the season with them. Through Metrocrest Services’ seniors program, community members are creating special gift baskets full of essential food, household items and gifts for Metrocrest-area seniors in need. 

Teenagers are another group often forgotten during the holidays, with many people choosing to buy or donate items for younger children.

“It’s sad to see a teenager who feels completely left out of holiday joy,” said Hayden Austin, director of development with Metrocrest Services. “The holiday season can be a very lonely time, and for teenagers who may already feel marginalized due to their family’s daily struggles, this season can feel very alienating. We do all we can to support children of all ages in the families we’re honored to help, and we appreciate when people can help us make these kids’ holiday seasons bright.”

North Texans’ Help Needed

Through its wrap-around services, Metrocrest Services is well-positioned to help area residents in need – but this year, more than ever, the non-profit needs the help of the community.

How to help? Go to https://metrocrestservices.org/donate/ to learn about how easy it is to give, or purchase items from the non-profit’s Amazon Wish List to help Metrocrest Services with our community's needs. There are particular needs for gifts for children 11 to 18 years old, and for seniors.

Will it be a happy holiday season for all? North Texans, your help is needed!  

Metrocrest Services, Inc., is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to providing programs for individuals, families and seniors that lead to self-sufficiency and foster independence. Programs include rent and utility bill assistance, financial and budgeting assistance, food pantry, employment coaching and transportation, minor home repairs and home-delivered meals to benefit seniors. Additionally, Metrocrest provides programs focused on children including holiday gifts and summer food. For more information, visit www.metrocrestservices.org.

First Presbyterian Church of Dallas (FPC Dallas) will acquire CitySquare’s Opportunity Center and relocate the programs and services of its community ministry, The Stewpot, which serves those experiencing homelessness and poverty, to the 53,000-square-foot facility. The Stewpot and CitySquare are longtime partners with a shared commitment to meeting the basic needs of individuals in the community and helping them improve their lives.

With the steadfast support of donors and in response to community needs, The Stewpot’s programs have tripled in size in recent years, and the ministry has outgrown its current space. When CitySquare announced earlier this year that it would cease operations and sell its property by the end of the year, the church, on behalf of The Stewpot, engaged in active conversations with CitySquare about acquiring its property. CitySquare’s board of directors voted unanimously to accept The Stewpot’s proposal after a competitive and equitable process to select the best partner.

For several months, the church’s leadership has been working through due diligence, building inspections, environmental testing and detailed plans for the program transition. Members of FPC Dallas met on Sunday, Dec. 8, for a congregational vote and approved the acquisition. The closing is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 13. The Stewpot will begin moving into the new space later this month. As a part of the acquisition, The Stewpot will continue two of CitySquare’s core programs: its Food Pantry and its Neighbor Resource Center. Resource navigators at the Neighborhood Resource Center help people with housing options and other resources, including SNAP, WIC, healthcare, financial assistance, mental health services and more.

“This new facility will allow us to better deliver our programs and continue to support the 12,000 people served annually by CitySquare’s Neighbor Resource Center and Food Pantry programs,” said Brenda Snitzer, executive director of The Stewpot. “We are thankful for this opportunity to maintain vital services for the CitySquare community and grow the impact of The Stewpot. As we move forward in faith, we are grateful for continued support from funders and donors as we raise the dollars for this significant undertaking that will allow us to help more Dallas neighbors in need.”

CitySquare’s property, at the corner of Malcolm X Boulevard and I-30, is located only a mile from The Stewpot’s current facility on Young Street, across the street from the church. With this acquisition, The Stewpot will move its operations and offices, while continuing to serve more than 1,000 meals daily at The Bridge downtown.

“You can’t tell the church’s story without talking about The Stewpot,” said Rev. Amos Disasa, senior pastor of FPC Dallas. “We are excited to embark on this new journey on the eve of our 50^th anniversary serving our neighbors downtown. The Stewpot is a community ministry, binding us together to love and care for one another.”

In 2025, the Stewpot will celebrate 50 years of positive impact and helping people break free from poverty and homelessness. The theme of “50  Years of Loving Our Neighbors” will be a centerpiece of its celebration throughout the year, marked by several milestone events. Since 1975, The Stewpot has served more than 8 million meals and has provided housing, education, stabilization, enrichment and, most of all, love to Dallas neighbors in need of support.

For more information and to support the work of The Stewpot, visit thestewpot.org.

Founded in 1856, First Presbyterian Church of Dallas (FPC Dallas), located in downtown Dallas, is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA) denomination. Together with its ministries—The Stewpot, FPC Day School, Encore Park and the FPC Dallas Foundation—it seeks the transformation of our city as ministers of reconciliation, peace and justice. For more information, visit fpcdallas.org.