Chris

Veteran, Full-time Student

A Navy veteran and full-time student at Dallas College, Chris says the on-campus pantry is a great resource for snacks and meals when his finances are tight.

When he got out of the military, Chris struggled with depression, addiction and homelessness. Now in recovery, Chris is studying to become a substance abuse counselor and says having access to food helps him to focus in his courses.

“Growing up as a male, I was always told that you don’t cry, you don’t do this, you don’t do that, you don’t ask for help,” he says. “But growing up, now I know there’s nothing wrong with asking for help, there’s nothing wrong with needing a little assistance. It’s a great benefit to have at the end of the day.”

Chris says when he graduates, he hopes to help other veterans and students who face mental health and substance abuse issues like he did. Having the support of the pantry is helping him reach that goal.

“I just want to be an advocate and help people who might be going through the same thing that I have in my past and just saying there are other ways,” he says. “There’s freedom from your addiction, there’s freedom from mental health, there’s freedom from a lot of things — you just have to find the right people to help.”