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David Daniels, left, watches as Army veteran Karess Branch loads groceries into a cart with help from Soldiers\u2019 Angels volunteer Bart Alvara on Thursday, July 23, 2026, at the nonprofit\u2019s new food pantry in Dallas.<\/p>\n
Michael Cuviello\/Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
When money runs short before payday, Army veteran Karess Branch turns to Soldiers\u2019 Angels for groceries to help feed her family.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWhen I don\u2019t have enough funds or enough outside support, it helps me make it through to the next paycheck,\u201d Branch said.<\/p>\n
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\u00a0A pantry participant, left, stands with a Soldiers\u2019 Angels volunteer after selecting groceries Thursday, July 23, 2026, at the nonprofit\u2019s new year-round food pantry in Dallas.<\/p>\n
Michael Cuviello\/Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
\u00a0Army veteran Karess Branch pushes a cart filled with groceries as David Daniels follows and Soldiers\u2019 Angels volunteer Bart Alvara looks on Thursday, July 23, 2026, at the nonprofit\u2019s new food pantry in Dallas.<\/p>\n
Michael Cuviello\/Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Branch, who served as a unit supply specialist from 2006 to 2010, has received food assistance from the nonprofit for nearly two years. She has three children and two others she calls her \u201cbonus kids,\u201d and said the groceries are especially helpful when they come home from school hungry.<\/p>\n
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Soldiers\u2019 Angels opened a year-round Dallas food pantry Thursday to give veterans and military families more frequent and flexible assistance as food and living costs rise.<\/p>\n
The pantry at 8150 Brookriver Drive stocks fresh produce, frozen foods and shelf-stable items and operates three Thursdays each month. Unlike the organization\u2019s monthly drive-through distributions, the pantry allows participants to choose groceries based on their household needs.<\/p>\n
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Participants select groceries with help from a Soldiers\u2019 Angels volunteer Thursday, July 23, 2026, at the nonprofit\u2019s new year-round food pantry in Dallas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Michael Cuviello\/Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a wonderful option for them to be able to come and shop for the things they need,\u201d Dallas-area director Thom Straley said.<\/p>\n
The pantry operates from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the first, third and fourth Thursdays of each month at 8150 Brookriver Drive, Suite 145, in Dallas.<\/p>\n
Drive-through distributions are held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the second Friday of each month at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 5004 Bonnie View Road.<\/p>\n
Advance registration is required. Eligible veterans and service members can apply for food assistance, volunteer or donate at soldiersangels.org. Questions can be directed to Thom Straley at tstraley@soldiersangels.org.<\/p>\n
The pantry expects to serve about 50 participants each day it operates and could expand its hours or add service days based on demand, Straley said.<\/p>\n
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The program is open to low-income veterans, active-duty service members, National Guard members and reservists. Participants must provide proof of military or veteran status and register in advance each month. Enrollment in Department of Veterans Affairs benefits is not required.<\/p>\n
Many participants rely on disability compensation, Social Security or other fixed incomes that have not kept pace with rising costs, Straley said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe cost of everything continues to go up, but those stipends they receive are not keeping pace,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A U.S. Department of Agriculture study found that 12% of working-age veterans lived in food-insecure households from 2005 through 2019. After accounting for economic, demographic and geographic differences, researchers found veterans were 7.4% more likely than nonveterans to experience food insecurity.<\/p>\n
The pantry expands a Soldiers\u2019 Angels program<\/a> that began holding monthly drive-through food distributions at Holy Cross Catholic Church in September 2023. About 200 people typically register for each event and receive 70 to 75 pounds of groceries, enough for up to two weeks of meals for a family of four, according to the organization.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Straley said a standard allotment does not fit every household. An older couple may take weeks to use the groceries<\/a>, while the same amount may not last as long for a family with several children.<\/p>\n