Wilkinson Center celebrates 30 years with Black and White Gala
Pearnetta Perry lost her job when her employers learned she couldn’t read or write and did not have a GED. Out of work, the East Dallas woman, for the first time in her 50 some years, sought a handout in the form of food from the Wilkinson Center pantry. It was there that she saw an announcement with these letters: GED. She asked someone to read it for her. It was a notice about a pre-GED class. Perry enrolled later that week. That is how the Wilkinson Center works, by offering people ways to help themselves. Wilkinson Center opened after Rev. Clayton Lewis of the former Munger Place United Methodist Church saw a child rooting through garbage for something to eat. Since then, Wilkinson Center has grown into an organization that helps individuals and families pull themselves out of poverty. The center serves about 40,000 people a year with emergency food and shelter, counseling, after-school programs and adult education. Many out-of-work people in our neighborhood wind up at the Wilkinson Center food pantry, where they can take home food when grocery money has run out. Others, like Perry, say the organization has changed their lives. At the annual Black and White Gala, Saturday, Nov. 3 at Dallas Contemporary, 161 Glass, The Wilkinson Center celebrates 30 years. Guests will enjoy music by James Fabriano and Elizabeth Farrell, dinner by Wendy Krispin Catering and a live auction. Individual tickets start at $175, and all proceeds benefit the Wilkinson Center programs. Purchase tickets and learn more at wilkinsoncenter.org.
