North Dallas Shared Ministries , Inc. dba Now-Forward

Now-Forward is the trusted and compassionate resource helping individuals through unexpected life challenges. Now-Forward helps low-income persons assume responsibility for their lives to the degree they are able by providing temporary emergency assistance, medical and dental care and programs designed to help them achieve stability for the long-term. Established in 1983 by five North Dallas congregations, NDSM now numbers 44 Covenant Congregations of many faiths. The founding congregations believed that by combining resources – food, financial and volunteers – and operating in a secular manner the basic needs of low-income persons could be better addressed. In 2024, NDSM helped 135,000 individuals with services valued at $6.4M, not including the $4M in refunds for federal income tax returns filed at Now-Forward. Over 95 cents of every donated dollar goes directly to programs and services. NDSM provides the following services at no cost to its clients and patients: • Basic and supplemental food assistance programs • Rent and utility assistance • Preventive, primary, and ongoing medical care for adults and children • Dental care - adults and children • Mental health counseling • Adult ESL classes • School supplies and uniforms • Clothes closet • Federal Income Tax preparation assistance • Vision check-ups and glasses NDSM serves 24 zip codes in Dallas, De Soto, Duncanville, and Plano, including 75001, 75023, 75115, 75116, 75204, 75205, 75209, 75219, 75220, 75225, 75229, 75230, 75231, 75234, 75235, 75240, 75243, 75244, 75247, 75248, 75251, 75252, 75254, and 75287. NDSM also helps the homeless. Financial assistance for rent and utilities and medical and dental care for uninsured patients is limited to persons residing in these zip codes. However, food, school supplies and uniforms, clothing, ESL classes and tax assistance are available to all Dalas County residents. NDSM’s staff consists of 175 active volunteers; one paid employees, an executive administrative assistant; a mental health clinician for whose services NDSM pays the Cannenta Center; six UTSW employees; and two faculty dentists, four dental assistants and six rotating students from Texas A&M University College of Dentistry. Lions Club International members and Foundation Communities staff also serve at NDSM.

A Society that no longer needs the services of NDSM.

Goal One: Expand the use of technology to ease clients'/patients' ability to access services

Goal Two: Increase the number of patients seen in the Medical Clinic

Goal Three: Continue the development of the Nutrition Education program and the role of the Registered Dietitian in fostering healthy diets, activities and life styles.

Leadership from all services areas meet regularly to coordinate efforts and to keep each other apprised of all activities of NDSM. Efforts are made to use one area to potentially increase services in other areas, such as the clinic referring patients for mental health counseling, or the food pantry.

Initiated by Covid-19, NDSM has permanently changed its food program from customized orders based upon family size to food distribution whereby all households receive 60-80 pounds of food and may return weekly. NDSM now serves an average of 135 households daily Monday-Friday, and is serving 4-5 times more households than before Covid. Again initiated by Covid, NDSM changed from in-person interviews for financial assistance applications on English and Spanish to on-line applications for not only financial assistance but also for mental and dental appointments, school supplies and uniforms. and eye-checks and glasses. NDSM has also advanced to texting as a more effective and efficient way of receiving client/patient responses.