Dennis the Menace – No More!!

Hi, I’m Dennis and I’m an alcoholic, drug addict and pill popper. I am 65 years old and grew up in Arkansas. I came from a family of alcoholics and when I was 9 years old, my parents went through a bitter divorce. As a result, I ended up in a foster home. I was sexually molested by both the Pastor and House Manager at the foster home. This had a profound effect on me for my entire life. I kept running away from the foster home. I felt ashamed, embarrassed, guilty and confused because of the sexual assaults. I kept this dark secret for many decades until I was brave enough to discuss this with my therapist. Every time I ran away from the foster home, they caught me and sent me back. After one year of continuously running away, they let me stay with my father.

At age 13, I started hitting the bars with my fake ID card. Before you knew it, I ended up in a reform school. Because of my poor life choices and selection in friends, I gravitated toward harder crimes. At age 16, I was caught in an armed robbery of a liquor store even though “my gun” was a hidden hand in a pocket. I was in and out of prison for the next 25 years, all because of my drinking and drugging. The only two good things that came out of prison is that I earned my GED and learned a valuable trade as a maintenance man.

My health has been poor because of my substance abuse and poor diet selection. In a span of 10 years, I had 3 heart attacks with one so severe, I had to be on a heart pump for 4 days. I am so thankful that God kept me alive.

I first appeared at Soul’s Harbor in 2007. I have come and gone several times in the last 13 years, but I was never serious about getting sober. Brent told me that one day “it would click”. He also thought I was one of his best maintenance men at Soul’s Harbor, so Brent always welcomed me back. But in November 2018, I was “sick and tired” of being “sick and tired”. I decided to get a sponsor and work the 12 steps. Boy, did my life change. Next month, I will be celebrating 18 months of being sober and clean. Thank you Soul’s Harbor for a life I could not imagine. You saved my life!!!

Spring Cleaning???

During our shelter in place, this is probably a good time to clean your attic or garage or discard your old clothes. After you are finished with your spring cleaning, give us a call at 972-286-1940 or visit our Donation Request Forms page or our Contact Us page.

We request that, if possible, leave your items under your covered porch so we can maintain our social distancing. If you cannot donate household items, please consider a small donation to Soul’s Harbor. Just go to the bottom of our website and press the donate button.

Thank you for your donation.

We need your help…

Soul’s Harbor homeless shelter is supported solely by our four thrift stores. You can donate your household items via phone (972-286-1940) or our “Household Donation Request Form” page. We also take automobiles “Vehicle Donation Request Form“. So if you have old clothes, furniture, appliances, household items, or even a car to donate to Soul’s Harbor, either fill out our online form or call our dispatch office at 972-286-1940. Our dispatch office is open Monday through Saturday from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

We are sustained solely through our four thrift store sales. We rely on your donated items to support our shelter. At Soul’s Harbor, we would like to thank all our customers that donate their items and also our thrift store customers. Because without our customers, there would be no Soul’s Harbor.

Thank you and God Bless.

Brent Burmaster
Executive Director of Soul’s Harbor Homeless Shelter

Dispatch Representative/Main Contact Number:
Soul’s Harbor, Incorporated
13134 Nile Drive
Dallas, Texas 75253
972.286.1940
972.286.5282 Fax
contact@soulsharbordallas.org

Thank you so much for your financial consideration. Note, your tax-deductible contributions may also be submitted through PayPal to donate@soulsharbordallas.org.*Please note: Users of Internet Explorer 8 and above may experience difficulties with our PayPal “Donate” button. Please access PayPal directly to make a financial contribution to Soul’s Harbor, Inc. Thank you!