Our mission at the Longview Dream Center (LDC) is to provide basic humanitarian needs, resources and life enhancing programs to the people of Longview and the greater East Texas region. Our vision is to provide free food & clothing to anyone in need throughout Longview, Texas and the surrounding area. The LDC provides hunger relief, senior boxes, fresh produce, and free clothing, to those in need or a crisis.
LDC PROGRAMS
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LIFESOURCE FOOD PANTRY
Our clients select their own food to accommodate their family needs in our Lifesource food pantry. A variety of meat, bread, dairy, canned items and tons of fresh fruit and vegetables are offered to our clients.
Each client is assigned a volunteer to assist them in choosing food items, helping to maintain the client’s dignity, while building a relationship that few hunger relief programs provide. The LDC will serve anyone, from any county, who is in need of food. Each family is served based on the size of their family. The LDC rescues food 5 days a week from three major retailers. These relationships are created through the East Texas Food Bank and are maintained by the LDC.
The food pantry operates every Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and currently serves 80 to 140 families at every distribution and sometimes more. Please do not come to the property earlier than 9:00. The Lifesource Food Pantry operates with a core group of faithful volunteers, who show up with a willing heart to serve. 15-20 trained volunteers connect and engage with the clients, while providing a sense of dignity, resulting from a comfortable food shopping experience. The LDC is committed to fighting hunger and food insecurity by providing food assistance to families with a legitimate need. In 2019, we served 1,277,992 MEALS and 1,064,993 POUNDS of food to our clients.
SENIOR BOX PROGRAM
This program offers clients who are 60 years or older a supplemental food box, which is provided by the East Texas Food Bank to 300 senior citizens every month. New applicants and those on the waiting list can come on the 3rd Wed. of the month from 9am to 12pm.
Those eligible, based on their age and household income, receive a 40-pound box of food with a variety of staple food products such as dry-beans, dry-milk, canned fruits and vegetables, cereal, and a large serving of cheese. This program offers elderly clients a nutritious variety of non-perishable food items and is designed to give the client an assortment of healthier food choices with a shelf life. This box is served in addition to our food pantry assistance for eligible clients.
FRESH PRODUCE DISTRIBUTION
The East Texas Food Bank delivers thousands of pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables for distribution every week to our facility.
This program operates every Saturday from 9:00am to 12:00pm (excluding 5th weeks of the month) and helps provide produce such as tomatoes, potatoes, squash, watermelon, cabbage, onions, and much more. Produce is available to anyone that has a need, and there are no qualifications to receive produce. This is a resource designed for the community, to help promote healthy food choices, and it puts fresh fruits and vegetables into the hands of those who are in need.
‘TWICE BUT NICE’ FREE CLOTHING PROGRAM
The LDC’s clothing program began by addressing the need for free clothing for those suffering from poverty or dealing with a crisis or natural disaster. It has grown to assist thousands of families each year. The program hours are Thurs. – Sat. from 10am – 12pm. A Photo ID is requested.
School uniforms and shoes are given away to parents who could not afford the required clothing for their children to attend school. Hundreds of prom dresses are given to local high school students who did not have the means to purchase a prom dress or suit for their prom night. Scrubs are provided to many people who secure employment in the medical field or one that requires specific attire, but there is no money to buy them. The impact this clothing program has had on the community is astonishing!
