You don't move to the City of Excellence to be average. Thank God I ain't average!…read more I moved into my new home in Plano two weeks ago and the water towers say it all. I'm right where I belong, in the City of Excellence ;) here's the thing... you aren't excellent if you aren't leaning in to help others. I'm passionate about a ton of things, giving back to others is one of the most important. I rescheduled my every 56 days blood donation to a nearby American Red Cross but being in my new town for two weeks seeing all that it gives, I knew it was time to research how I can make an immediate impact. North Texas Food Bank was a result of my research and I'm so excited about today's effort. After relocating I suppose it's quite fitting to select "Pack and Box" it's literally all I'd been doing the past few weeks, why stop now?!! I had the greatest first time volunteer experience. I signed up last night right before bed because and knew I was going to the gym at 6a with my neighbor so I selected the 1p (arrive by 1230p) time slot. Creating a new volunteer account was super straight forward. I was adding this event to my calendar within minutes. I was greeted by the sweetest ladies upon arrival, offered a locker key (wear a fanny pack if you don't have pockets and wish to bring your phone in) as you aren't wearing aprons. I left my phone in the locker. We did a brief orientation, hand washing and then volunteered for our assignments. I've put together a ton of boxes lately, so I opted for packing. I'm not certain I've ever handled so much boxed milk in my entire lifetime! I was first in the assembly line working hand in hand with Apple juice volunteer and let me just say, we did the damn thang!!! It was such a fun experience I never took a single break. My right arm will soon remind me of this fact. We packed 960 boxes, totaling 20 pallets, weighing 28,800 lbs, creating 24,000 meals! I'm a numbers nerd and love the data following your shift. It makes it that much more rewarding. Impact you can see and feel. There were several corporate groups, families and solo volunteers. Everyone was very kind. I'll definitely be volunteering here on a regular basis as my schedule provides. Thank you so much North Texas Food Bank! As a foodie, meals for those in need is a cause I hold near and dear to my heart. Highly recommend if you're looking to serve others. There are a variety of opportunities. I selected this one today but I may explore others in the near future. Hands down a superb way to spend 3 hours, and the warehouse is nice and cool on a warm day. Perfect place to volunteer in the summer (:

Such a nice/big warehouse facility. Pretty clean and modern. My team and I came to volunteer, and…read morethe staff were all super helpful, and gave us good instructions and rules. The building is the size of 4 football fields, so it's massive. It felt so good to give back to our community. Please consider volunteering if you can, it's super easy to sign up and the process was super smooth.

Great place!! Discount spay, neuter and low cost vaccines. Staff were very nice and attentive. Got…read moremy boy neutered and chipped. Came to 80 gave 20 to donate to a worthy cause. It came with 3 days pain med, antibiotics and a chip and a free cone. Drop off at 8-9 pick up at 3. It's been 3 days and he is doing great! Stitches are holding and he doesn't seem to be in any pain. He is a 7 month old shih tzu. I will most definitely use again and recommend!

My dog got very ill after his neutering. He developed an abscess on the fifth day after being on…read moremedications. He had to be seen at an emergency after care. The glue that was used on closing his incision did not hold. He got a horrible abscess infection! Ending up spending a thousand dollars to get him well! I will never take another animal to TCA! I Contacted TCA and I was accused of not taking good after care of him!!! I was also told I would have to pay for him to be seen! I was insulted! Never Ever Again! I will never try to save money again. Stay with your Vet! It would have saved me lots of time and money...

I honestly really enjoyed this place with my family. We stayed local for spring break and I was…read morelooking for activities for my kids and they are obsessed with tigers; so I googled and stumbled upon this place. I honestly did not have any high expectations because everyone told me to go to Sharkarosa last year and that place was a little disappointing. Also people told me this place was a flop too; but they seemed to have decent reviews and tigers and that's all my kiddos cared about. Pulling in I was still having no expectations; we checked in; we had "donated" online prior to arriving so we were given a map and some simple instructions and on we were on our way. They have a ton of cats! Yes I have a love hate relationship for places like this and zoos because I feel sympathy for the animal being in a cage; however I due understand most are rescued and are alive because of places like this. But this place by far is one of the better places; it's clean; workers are constantly cleaning the habitats; the animals overall were active and not in "comatose" "depressed" state as I've seen before at other places. For the most part a lot of the habitats were very large with lots in them; so that was refreshing. I saw a ton of cats I've never seen. I think tigers are beautiful; however I was really in awe of the Lion, Lambert and then the Servals! They were just amazing. They had tigers, ligers, lions, servals, bobcats, cougars, etc. my kids really enjoyed it as well as my husband and I. The memorial wall was touching; and the gift shop is decent. I did find out they offer a feeding tour in the evenings and that's something we may check out in the future. All in all it was a great experience for us.

I wasn't expecting to see so many big cats, since usually they're not that visible or active at…read morezoos. I thought most of them would be sleeping inside their (air conditioned and heated) houses in the middle of the day. Not so. We saw lions, tigers, ligers, several bobcats, a several, and a leopard, all up close. Many of the cats have been rescued from people who raised them as cubs, and intended to keep them as pets, so many of the cats are not fearful of humans. The facilities are nothing fancy, but the cats are clearly well taken care of and have plenty of enrichment. There are about 70 cats on the property, and you can probably see them all within an hour or so. It's not a huge place. The paths between the enclosures are dirt / gravel and sometimes uneven. We ended up getting pretty muddy since we came after it rained. It was a little tricky for my dad, who is 85 with mobility issues, but was still manageable.

We are following brahma kumaris Raja Yoga practice from long time. The center of Dallas, tx fills…read moreus every day with knowledge of spirituality, happiness, love, care which makes our life simple and easy to live. The Dallas center of brahma kumaris feel like home and experience touching the heart every time we visit.

I found this mediation center through a meet up group they offer. I was obviously skeptical not…read moreabout the place but feeling like I didn't belong or some other mindless nonsense. I was really happy I stopped in because the people were so friendly and inviting. They had a variety of photos and informational material available for you to check out. There was a special speaker there that talked about building relationships with people. I think it was all very general information but in that setting it seems to hold a different meaning I guess. I was only able to attend the workshop but I would hope I can find another session to attend in the future.

Wow. Just wow. I'm so blown away with this incredible place helping this homeless female vet in my…read moredire time of need. Reached out to them in desperation as I was living in my car and they reached out next morning asap eager to provide any assistance they could. I had been calling 20-30 homeless shelters and organizations a day trying to seek immediate shelter, and this ranch is the only place that stepped up to take me in . The owners are generous beyond words, just unconditional love and support every step of the way. Their cause is noble, their hearts are boundless, and they truly live by example. Could gush over them for days for all the help they've given me. Amazing housing accommodations- literally fully stocked cottage with the most tasteful decor and well thought out necessities already provided. If something wasn't there, they were eager to provide it asap. The farm is just adorable; all the animals are well taken care of and are such a pleasure to visit. It's quiet, comfortable, peaceful, and you can tell how much care was poured into putting these places together. Just all the little touches they've added. There's a full-sized oven/stove, refrigerator and freezer, microwave, washer and dryer provided, a place to shower, storage embedded for me to squirrel away belongings as needed, too lol. Roku TV was installed in my current unit today. Free and good Wi-Fi. Keurig for coffee. Even a water purifier! O_O Seriously what homeless shelter does that?? None. None I tell you. I've been there, lived in a shelter for 6 months, and this ranch blows every other place out of the water. If you are a woman veteran in need of housing assistance, please consider reaching out to Valor Ranch! If you are looking for a non-profit organization to support, I cannot recommend this lovely ranch enough!

From the owner: Passionately empowering our nation's SHEROES "Women Veterans" to write the rest of their story.read more

Rainbow Days is one of the BEST nonprofit organizations in Dallas…read more Rainbow Days first came to my attention randomly years ago when I was looking for an organization to donate to, but due to a career change I've had the privilege to network with them thanks to my work as a housing case manager and substance use disorder counselor, and I cannot tell you what this organization means to so many families who are hit hard by housing instability and homelessness. I sit in awe at the wonderful activities that encourages the kids to look beyond their present circumstances, dare to dream big, focus on their education, tap into their feelings, stay drug and tobacco free, and most of all, have fun and stay kids. You'd be amazed what this organization can do with a little and how many kids they help each year. It is something in the tune of 142,000! They do summer camps, fun summer outings, they are involved in Turkey Dunk, Back to School Kick Off that provides brand new uniforms and school supplies, they supply diapers and other baby items year around to various organizations and so, so, so much more. I think their major messages they instill in the kids say it all: " I AM likeable, capable, unique and valued. I CAN treat others like I want to be treated. I HAVE strengths, capabilities and people who care about me. I WILL make healthy choices and be alcohol, tobacco and drug free. I BELIEVE I have a purpose." If you see the smile on these kids faces you too will want to donate. I'm serious. Every time they come back they are exhausted but still smiling from ear to ear. Five stars all around for them making such an amazing difference in our city and showing the kids how special they are.

Hi, I have had the chance to meet the CEO Ms. Brandy, and she was hospitable and went out her way…read moreto find services for my 9 yr old daughter that has been diagnosed with Autism. Even though she struggles with volunteers, I commend her for going above and beyond to ensure that I got the help I needed. Thanks Tammy P.

From the owner: Mission Statement ​…read moreHealing 4 Autism is a 501C3 operated Non Profit. Our Mission is : To strengthen and assist parents with children who suffer with intellectual disabilities; Christian values and goals A safe and clean environment Counseling and training on how to cope Professional trained staff A family created atmosphere Professionalism through accountability services

Chuck Rudnick, Tom Baumgarten and Laura Buttler are first class mentors. I come from Mexico and…read morehonestly Score and all these first class people are a proof of what this country stands for. US is the land of opportunity because of people like them, God bless them and this wonderful group of heroes.

This is one of the largest 5k's in Dallas and is so well organized. There were well over 20,000…read moreparticipants. It is extremely crowded and I wouldn't recommend participating in this race as a times event. It is more of an event to so with your family and friend to remember loved ones that have passed from breast cancer and celebrated theses that have survivors. It's an extremely family friendly event. I loved participating with so many people from all walks of life to raise money for breast cancer research.

We can smell the bbq from a mile away!! My son has wanted to try this since we moved in the…read moreapartments. We finally got to and it was way worth it!!! I have picky eaters and he said he gives them 5stars!!

From the owner: The Best Catering and Smoke Brisket in the North Dallas arearead more