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"I CAME TO FIND HAPPINESS IN THAT CELL"

“By the grace of God, I got caught and got time.” 

Jimmy, a staple in CitySquare’s Food Pantry, didn’t always have such a perspective on life. Jimmy lacked direction after high school and became consumed by drugs, crime, and eventually, prisoN.

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I was sentenced to 25 years, and I did 16 years and three months. I didn’t have to serve so long; I was messing up even in prison,” Jimmy stated.

Jimmy’s admittedly poor choices bounced him between facilities and, ultimately, to administrative detention—allowed out of his cell for only one hour each day. “I was able to do a lot of thinking,” Jimmy said. “And I started talking to God. I picked up my Bible and read the New Testament.”

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When he was released, Jimmy walked to his sister’s house. It was a long walk, but the air was fresh. Jimmy got up early each morning to read his Bible.

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Even though their relationship had fractured, Jimmy’s dad offered him a fresh start, and helped him find a job. However, his income as a warehouse worker couldn’t cover all the bills.  A friend told Jimmy about the CitySquare Food Pantry, where Jimmy met people like himself; the working poor, some of the 30,000 in Dallas County working two or three jobs but still earning less than a living wage—people who just needed help.

Jimmy had something else in common with his neighbors. He felt called to give something back. 

Volunteering in the pantry helped Jimmy
find a new sense of meaning. When there was an opening for a driver for CitySquare’s mobile food program, he applied. 

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Jimmy got the job, proved his worth, and now serves as the Food Pantry Warehouse Coordinator, helping serve three million pounds of food to nearly 10,000 individuals last year.  

“People go through so much,” Jimmy stated. “When people come in the Food Pantry, you don’t know what’s going on with them. We just treat everyone equally.”

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