Hours
Monday 8–11:45 AM
Tuesday 1–4:45 PM
Wednesday 8–11:45 AM
Thursday 9 AM–12 PM
Friday Closed
Saturday Closed
Sunday Closed
Open Enrollment is OPEN until October 31, 2025
Aunt Bette’s Community Pantry is a client-choice food pantry in the heart of South Dallas which provides quality food items to hungry individuals and families. This program supplies critical nutrition to households experiencing food insecurity. Aunt Bette’s Community Pantry serves residents from the 75210, 75203 and 75215 zip codes.
Visitors from any zip code or clients without an appointment are welcome to stop by during hours of operation and receive a limited supply of emergency food.
Volunteers are currently needed for client service and pantry stocking shifts. Volunteer Slots are available on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:45 am - 11:45 am, Tuesdays from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm - 4:45 pm, and Thursdays from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. For more information, click here.
HISTORY
In 1989, recognizing the urgent need for food access in South Dallas, St. Philip’s School & Community Center launched its first food pantry from a small storage room on campus. The pantry began as a grassroots effort to serve families in 75215, 75203, and 75210 ZIP codes.
One of its earliest and most dedicated volunteers was Bette Perot, who immediately saw ways to improve the space and donated shelving that is still in use today by St. Philip’s Meals on Wheels program.
By 2013, the pantry had grown, operating out of a shared space with Meals Wheels and serving up to 200 individuals per month. Food was distributed twice a month in pre-bagged packages, with supplies sourced from St. Philip’s own food drives, a community garden, and its partnership with North Texas Food Bank.
In 2015, St. Philip’s joined forces with North Texas Food Bank, In the City for Good, and the City of Dallas to open Our Community Pantry—a collaborative effort to expand and improve hunger relief in the area. The new facility dramatically increased capacity and variety, eventually serving over 750 households and 1,750 individuals and distributing more than 700,000 pounds of food annually.
In July 2019, full operation and management of Our Community Pantry transitioned to St. Philip’s, further strengthening its commitment to the community. Two months later, in September 2019, the pantry was renamed Aunt Bette’s Community Pantry in honor of Aunt Margaret “Bette” Perot, former food pantry volunteer and a St. Philips supporter.
What began in 1989 as a small, volunteer-led pantry has grown into a cornerstone of food support for South Dallas, continuing St. Philip’s mission of faith, education, and service.
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Aunt “Bette” Perot was a lifelong champion in the fight against hunger and the beloved namesake of our impactful community pantry. Her unwavering commitment to food justice reached St. Philip’s in 1989, when she volunteered in the school’s original food pantry and even donated shelving that’s still in use today. She was also instrumental in the founding of the North Texas Food Bank, one of our most valued and long-standing community partners.
In 2019, the Perot family honored Aunt Bette with a generous $2 million birthday gift to St. Philip’s We Believe Campaign—an endowment that helps ensure the long-term sustainability of food pantry and our mission to serve South Dallas families.
Thanks to Aunt Bette’s legacy and the Perot family’s continued support, tens of thousands of lives will be touched by generations, offering hope and nourishment to neighbors facing food insecurity.