One Man's Treasure

One Man's Treasure meets a critical need in our community.  Its mission is to help men recently released from Texas state prisons who arrive in the Dallas/Fort Worth area by providing them with essential clothing, mentoring and referrals to other resources to enable them to find work and make a new start.  If these indigent men can find employment when they are released from prison, they can lift themselves from poverty and become productive members of society.  Employment also allows them to return to their families to take part in the financial responsibilities and become positive role models.  If these men don’t return to prison, not only are their lives and their families’ lives changed, but also our communities are safer and we temper the high cost of funding the prison system through our taxes.

 Each year more than 35,000 men are released from Texas prisons, including over 15,000 that return to Dallas/Fort Worth and other North Texas communities, and nearly all are indigent or homeless. One Man’s Treasure, a Christian faith-based agency, expects to help 2,900 men in 2023.  Male volunteers, called “shepherds,” deliver gently used clothing suitable for job interviews and work to the men, serve as mentors and help them find a church home. Clothes are donated across the metroplex, and the funding requested is for new underwear and essentials, like work boots, that are not donated.

Success is measured through annual recidivism studies that show a substantially lower annual recidivism rate for One Man’s Treasure clients, 13.5% compared to national statistics of 68% arrested in the first three years.  

One Man’s Treasure, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, collaborates with a number of non-profits and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice System to identify men who need its clothing assistance and was awarded the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Volunteer Service Award in 2016 in recognition of its work to assist in the reentry process. 

Your support during this period of critical need can change the lives of a vulnerable and overlooked segment of our population, and will make a positive impact on our community.

Success stories:  

When J.C. was released from prison, he requested clothing with a need for a pair of EEEE shoes which we had on hand. The following Christmas J.C. called and said that someone had given him clothes and he wanted to donate them to One Man's Treasure because we had been there for him when he needed help. He said he saw Christ in all that we did and he wanted to be part of that. He had a job and hoped to become a Shepherd so he could also give back through One Man’s Treasure.

"When I was preparing to leave prison, my thoughts were consumed with these questions:   Where am I going to work? What about clothes? What about food? I was blessed by a telephone call that clothing would be delivered to me by a Shepherd from One Man's Treasure. They were not just any clothes; they were my size and my favorite colors. They were delivered with encouragement, hope and a prayer. God also met all of my other needs in His perfect timing."   R. H.

As a result of the increased need for our services and because of supply issues and inflation, there is a greater need for funding from North Texas Giving Day to support the necessary clothing purchases and increased delivery costs.

Our Needs

If these items are not received in clothing donations, they must be purchased to assure that each man receives a complete personalized clothing wardrobe, such as new underwear and socks, including dress socks; work boots and shoes; long sleeve shirts and polo shirts in sizes XL, 2XL, 3XL and up to 6XL, winter coats, and T-shirts.