Brother Bill's Helping Hand Celebrates 80 Years of Serving Our Neighbors
They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
Isaiah 61:3
This is a special year for Brother Bill’s Helping Hand, because it is the year we are celebrating 80 years of serving our neighbors in West Dallas and the surrounding community. Because of the seeds that have been planted by Brother Bill Harrod and subsequent generations of servant leaders, our organization has been flourishing under the shade of the "oaks of righteousness" that have gone before us.
Bill Harrod founded our ministry in the 1940s. He was the pastor of Eagle Ford Baptist Church, a tiny church in West Dallas that measured 22x35 feet. At the time, West Dallas was in an unincorporated part of the city. There was no running water, no paved roads, and residents lived in dire poverty with little hope of a better future.
Called to serve his neighbors, Brother Bill created a ministry to meet their spiritual and physical needs. He built a closet where his church congregation stored food, clothing, and shoes and distributed them to the community. Brother Bill had faith that God would provide for the needs of his neighbors—and God always did.
“For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.”
The tiny food pantry that Brother Bill started 80 years ago has expanded to serve even more neighbors in our area. From Pleasant Grove to South Dallas, to Oak Cliff and all points in between, Brother Bill’s lasting legacy will be felt for years to come.
Today, Brother Bill’s Helping Hand ministers to the Dallas Community by ensuring the essentials of life, empowering through learning, and enriching relationships through faith, family, fitness, and finance. In this past year alone, we:
Met the needs of over 4,200 families through our partnership with the North Texas Food Bank by distributing over 2.3 million pounds of food, the equivalent of 1.9 million meals going back into the community.
Provided primary care to over 900 patients through our partnership with UT Southwestern, and through our partnership with The Center for Integrative Counseling and Psychology, we facilitated 1,250 mental health counseling visits.
Partnered with sponsors and community organizations to host a wide variety of family programming, including Spring Break and Summer Camps for our youth, and Bible studies, ESL classes, financial workshops, and exercise classes for adults. For the last 20 years, our Pathways Job Training and Discipleship Program has educated and empowered women in our community. In fact, 220 women have graduated from the program, seven of whom are working full-time on our staff at Brother Bill’s.
The traditional gift for an 80th Anniversary is oak. Therefore, as we continue the work started by Bill Harrod 80 years ago, our prayer is to be an oak of righteousness in the Dallas community, a planting of the Lord so that He may be glorified.
Thank you for your continued support. Please click here to make a gift to help us celebrate this special anniversary, and be sure to watch a special video below!