Every week, three hundred families are fed with the help of Minnie’s Food Pantry.

“When you volunteer in this pantry, and you see some of the people that come in, it just could be anybody,” said Andre Angel, CEO of TangoTab. “It could be you, me, or anybody else that’s just like us.”

TangoTab is a dining resource that helps hungry patrons find a restaurant offering a deal to dine for a discount. Angel has found a way to encourage diners to visit his website, and give back to the needy in North Texas.

“As they use one of these offers, we are effectively donating a meal to a hungry family or a hungry child,” said Angel.

In honor of Martin Luther King Day, TangoTab donated forty thousand meals to Minnie’s Food Pantry. The tens of thousands of meals will soon fill the hungry bellies of North Texas residents.

“They come in on a daily basis between Wednesday and Saturday, lining up in front of the pantry, and picking up some food so they can feed their families,” said Angel.

Founder of Minnie’s Food Pantry, Cheryl Jackson, says she was once in her patrons shoes. She was forced to feed her family from a food pantry, receiving a brown paper bag filled with food she says she couldnt make a single meal with. She has now created a place where those in need can come and find food and comfort.

“Thousands of people have walked this place and they have cried as they were walking out the doors,” said Jackson. “When I see them cry, they’re crying for different reasons why my tears were shed when I walked out that door. They’re crying because they’ve received so much more than they ever ever thought they would get.”

Through the generosity of the donations by TangoTab, Jackson’s dream of feeding those in need is sustained. She thinks its most fitting the donations were given on the day in honor of Martin Luther King.

“I think Martin Luther King says it best,” said Jackson. “He said, ‘I had the audacity to believe that people can receive three meals a day.’ Well you know what? He had the audacity, I had the dream, and the dream continues through Minnie’s Food Pantry and Tango Tab, and I’m so thrilled.”

Just like the hungry consumer searching for a deal at their favorite dive or diner, Minnie’s Food Pantry is always looking for volunteers and donations.

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After Will Rosellini left the world of professional sports, he dedicated himself to science, a passion developed while watching some of the world’s best pitchers.

“I was curious how they could throw with the accuracy of a quarter of an inch, but I could only throw with the accuracy of three to four inches,” said Rosellini, CEO of MicroTransponder.

The former professional baseball player realized this tiny difference related to the nervous system.  That discovery led him to start MicroTransponder, a company developing solutions to treat neurological disorders.

“What we’ve found in clinical studies is that by applying electricity to the vagus nerve we can open up a window in the brain with neurotransmitters that allow us to drive the brain to pay attention and learn faster,” said Rosellini.

MicroTransponder and research partner UT Dallas have quickly discovered their findings could potentially help people with a particular disorder.

“The place where that’s been immediately successful and applicable would be in the treatment of Tinnitus,” said Rosellini.

Tinnitus is not an ordinary ringing of the ears.  It’s constant and can reach unbearable decibels, affecting the way of life for people like Phillip Lofton who suffers from Tinnitus.

“Because you suffer alone and nobody else can hear it, it’s hard for my family members and friends to understand it never, ever goes away,” said Lofton.

For twenty years Lofton has battled Tinnitus. The noise he hears has been measured at decibels equaling a jet engine. To Rosellini, that sound is a reminder of why he’s working so hard.

“For nearly two million people the tinnitus is so bad it affects them at work and for 15% of people of Tinnitus sufferers they’re emotionally disturbed by the suffering,” said Rosellini.

MicroTransponder has seen successful results on human patients in Belgium, and they are currently raising funds to be approved in the United States.

“For smaller companies that are doing medical products, we need to raise on the order of ten to twelve million dollars to get our product approved by the FDA,” said Rosellini.

Although MicroTransponder is in the early stages of fundraising and treatment, the company has big plans.

“We intend to restore or enhance the nervous system of one million patients worldwide,” said Rosellini.

And as long as he still suffers, Lofton says he wants to help find a solution.

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Professional bodybuilder Stephen Frazier knows a Christmas card goes a long way in spreading holiday cheer and on Saturday Frazier and several clients took a break from lifting weights in Grand Prairie and instead focused on lifting hearts. In just a few hours, Frazier and his team delivered bags to a homeless shelter in Fort Worth.

“Everyone contributed just great,” said Frazier, Owner of SGP Fitness.  ”We have tons of bags. I think it’s going to make a big difference.”

This idea wouldn’t be possible without Cindy Rodriguez, and she couldn’t help but smile while filling each bag with socks, gloves, hats, and other simple items that are sometimes easy to take for granted.

“Sometimes I get in a funk and I complain and than I think  it could be worse,” said Rodriguez. “I could not have a place to sleep or a car or a great job so I think this kind of helps people to remember you need to be grateful for what you have.”

Frazier is no stranger to charity. He’s donated countless hours to giving back and urges members of his gym to do the same. He started SGP Fitness five years ago and since then he’s come to love teaching others to live healthier lives whether it be through lifting weights or providing for those less fortunate during the holidays. It took most of the afternoon to top off all the bags and when the moment arrived in downtown Fort Worth it took just a few minutes to pass them all out. Some people took their bag and left. Others stayed to say thank you.

“I’m thankful and blessed,” said Junior Patterson.

And next year these homeless men and women can expect another visit from Frazier and his team.

“We’ll do better next year,” said Frazier. “I always say get up and do something. Just do more.”

It’s proof a little goes a long way and sometimes it starts with just a simple Christmas Card inside a bag.

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Troy Freeman’s last name says it all. He is a free man but life hasn’t always been this way.

“My own family disowned me at the time,” said Troy Freeman.

Freeman had six trips to prison because of his battle with alcohol but after his last stay behind bars he vowed to never return.

“I got a job less than a week after that,” said Freeman. “I guess because I felt good about myself and it was just a blessing.”

Freeman’s new life started with hand delivered clothing from One Man’s Treasure. This nonprofit aims to help men just released from prison. Executive Director Annette Jenkins says everyone deserves a second chance at life.

“So many of these men go to prison and they serve their time and they want to change their lives,” said Annette Jenkins.

Since 2005, One Man’s Treasure has helped to clothe more than two thousand and five hundred men. Because of their help, these men are much less likely to return to prison.

“It’s a ministry of hope,” said Jenkins. “It’s a ministry of dignity.”

Volunteers say it’s important to help restore the men who are being released back into our communities.

“I get to go to their homes, meet their family, and watch the smiles on their faces when they receive this set of clothing,” said Volunteer Jeffrey Parker.

“When they receive that package, it’s like you just took them to Macy’s,” said Larry Gardner. “It’s like they just went to Dillard’s, and they’re so grateful.”

Freeman admits he will forever be grateful. Today he is a proud business owner and hires formerly incarcerated men which is helping others get their lives back on track.

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What do some North Texas men and women do on a typical Tuesday night? Some gathered to have their fashionable footwear judged. Although there was a contest for the best pair of shoes, it’s much more than just about the glitz and the glam. Hundreds gathered at Sambuca in Dallas to raise awareness towards domestic violence.

“A lot of our volunteers have been abused but they can come and enjoy a party and no one’s looking at them as if they were abused,” said the Founder of Society of Women Who Love Shoes Dianne Samoff.

So what is the driving force behind the Society of Women Who Love Shoes and how are they teaming up with other nonprofits?

“We would like to be their alliance,” said Samoff. “When they need something they don’t have we want them to reach out to Society of Women Who Love Shoes. We can do a drive and help them get it.”

With networking events,  the society is forming relationships with community members and collecting shoes for various women’s shelters across the metroplex such as Hope’s Door.

“The last time I saw my dad hit my mother, he shoved a screwdriver through her face,” said Director of Community Relations of Hope’s Door Adela Plasek. “It doesn’t stop there either. I wish I could say it did. My mother then had to raise three girls on her own and she did the best she could but unfortunately since she was a victim of abuse she then did not stop the cycle there. She afflicted that abuse upon her three girls and my youngest sister died when she tried to get away from her boyfriend.”

Both Samoff and Plasek say that if someone has been a victim of domestic violence, speaking out can help battle the silent epidemic that plagues many families.

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Every year millions of animals are euthanized across the United States many of which come from puppy mills. In the Dallas area alone more then two hundred thousand animals are euthanized each year. That’s why the nonprofit Mazie’s Mission has partnered with other animal organizations to host a 24 Hour Adopt-A-Thon at The Village in Fairview, Texas. Hundreds of volunteers are sacrificing their sleep in order to find dogs and cats loving homes. The folks that come to the event will also experience live music, activities, training tips and much more. In light of the event all the adoption fees have been reduced and each adopted pet comes with a free goody bag which will help owners care for their new best friend.

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