The world needs more people like Dallas Jones.
The 18-year-old was supposed to move to Louisiana to start classes at Grambling State University but the pandemic put her move on hold and forced her coursework online.
“It’s just kind of crazy that all of this is going on right now,” said Jones. “It’s been an emotional roller coaster of getting my hopes up and being disappointing.”
Jones, a future lawyer, knew she had to give Grambling her best, but she also knew she needed to give back to her community during tough times. Then she found Community Through Hope, a nonprofit that's helping her do both.
“I haven’t really been able to find work,” said Jones. “I didn’t just want to sit around the house and be lazy. So, that’s when I heard of CTH.”
CTH said it provides food for up to 5,000 people every week thanks to its partnership with the San Diego Food Bank and Feeding San Diego. The nonprofit offers a drive-through food pantry every Tuesday and Thursday.
In between classes, which Jones can focus on in CTH's office space, she steps outside the office volunteers for in the nonprofit’s food pantry.
“It doesn’t seem right that so many people have to suffer from poverty,” said Jones.
“It’s about servicing the people. Period. That’s what we’re here to do,” said Sebastian Martinez, the Community Through Hope’s Development Director. “[Jones] could be doing anything with this time. Her whole world was turned upside down.”
Still, Martinez said Jones is one of the lucky volunteers.
“We’ve had volunteers who later have had to come back and ask for resources themselves,” he explained.
Local
“It made me appreciate the little things more,” said Jones before returning to her online class in a CTH office. “I wanted to know what it was like to actually give back.”
The world needs more people like Dallas Jones.
