Be the Neighbor

Be The Neighbor is a Fort Worth founded and based nonprofit that equips young people across the country to live lives of love, service, and justice and to be the neighbors that make all of our communities better places to live in!  Your donation empowers young people to grow into the kind of person you are - one who is committed to loving your neighbors and making your community a place where everyone is safe, loved, and has what they need to thrive! We believe that when love of neighbor is our guiding value, we will see a world where justice is realized, people flourish and communities are made whole.  Your donation equips youth to understand the values of volunteerism, community-building, philanthropy, and advocacy. 

This summer we welcomed over 1100 youth and adults to 17 cities throughout the United States, including Dallas and Fort Worth. In each location, they learned how to change their communities through service and justice in ways that are relational, sustainable, and dignity-affirming. They were able to learn and serve with local nonprofits, educators, advocates, and community leaders who work each day to make their neighborhoods better for everyone.  

In just 8 weeks this summer participants served over 35,200 hours in their communities including to many amazing DFW nonprofits . They learn the systemic nature of the injustices that affect them and their neighbors and how to change them. However, our goal is less about what they do when they are with us and more about what they do when go home.  They return home to love and partner with their neighbors in new ways, including many of our own kids who come back to DFW to improve our community!  They begin community gardens, set up apartments for families transitioning out of homelessness, advocate for affordable grocery stores in their neighborhood and so much more.  They learn how to work towards anti-racism, disaster recovery, economic justice, refugee welcome, safe and affordable housing for all, hunger relief and food justice, environmental care, and poverty relief.  Thanks to you they learn how to be the neighbor who listens to understand and not to judge, the neighbor who advocates, the neighbor who shows up, the neighbor who makes sure that everyone belongs, the neighbor who leads with compassion.

Your donation to North Texas Giving Day, helps youth and adults from North Texas to learn  how they can make a difference in our community and help youth and adults from outside of North Texas to learn about the issues impacting our communities and what area nonprofits are doing to combat those issues. Our Dallas and Fort Worth sites focus on teaching Food Insecurity & Food Justice, Education Justice and Urban Poverty Relief.  

You will make a way for youth from across the country to come and serve at and learn from a number of partner nonprofits right here in our community including: Bonton Farms, Catholic Charities, Children's Closet, DFW Asylum Seeker Housing, DRC Housing Solutions, Hope Supply, International Newcomers Academy, Jewish Family Services, LVTRise, Neighborhood Needs, Now Forward, Opals Farm, Presbyterian Night Shelter, Ridglea Giving Garden, Prom Dreams, Rainbow Days,  Seeds of Faith, Tarrant Area Food Bank, Tarrant County Food Policy Council, Welman Project,  WestAid, World Relief, and more!

We are committed to equipping everyone with the skills to be change-makers in their communities, no matter their family's financial reality.  Your donation makes this possible.

Hear the impact from some of our participants on their Be The Neighbor experience:

"At Be The Neighbor I grew and changed in my perspective on a lot of things. I really connected with the definitions of service and justice. I knew what those words meant and knew they were important, but this really helped me understand the bigger picture of how they go together"

"At Be the Neighbor I gained more empathy and understanding of people who are unhoused. Seeing the others as individuals not stereotypes. I feel more empowered to do something to bring change"

"My mind was shifted at Be The Neighbor to think of the needs in our community in a different way. It’s like I had my eyes closed and this week, they were opened"

"I learned the need to work toward food distribution to everyone. My group has learned so many ways to provide equity/dignity affirming resources through serving and justice."

"I learned the idea of dignity affirming justice work, I had never thought about the side of justice work and what that would look like in action."

"I learned the power of listening, of community, and even more about what can be done when we see each other as ' neighbors"

Be The Neighbor is faith-based nonprofit born out of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ and works alongside people of many denominations, religions and the secular community. We are LGBTQIA+ open and affirming and committed to working towards anti-racism and equity for all.