First Methodist Church of Gladewater lay leader Dean Hanssen opens a box from East Texas Food Bank containing eight bags of supplies for the community’s Backpack Program, serving about 138 students every week. (Photos by James Draper)
More food. More help. More guidance.
For years, Dean Hanssen has focused on more – not for himself but for the children and families who rely on the Gladewater Backpack Program, for the men and women who rely on the support of Celebrate Recovery.
A conversation with the First Methodist Church lay leader turns quickly to the needs of the people of Gladewater and how others are at work to help them. He’s content to do his share, to put in his hours, to play his part in the system he helped build – spearheading the logistics of the weekly food giveaway to Gladewater ISD students and ensuring struggling adults have a safe space to and someone to lean on.
“It’s not what I do. It’s what God allows me to do — how He uses me,” the 72-year-old says. “I know what my salvation is and where it is from. My works are what I do because of my salvation. They don’t determine where I’ll end up, but they give me a podium to speak for others in need.
“A lot of times, I haven’t had the same problems others face. Without being involved in these programs, I wouldn’t have the understanding I need — especially with kids, who don’t have control over their circumstances.”
It’s the second time Hanssen and his wife, Jeannie, have attended First Methodist Church. In the early 2000s, they turned to the church-plant Living Hope Fellowship. After the ministry ended, four years later, its backpack program and Celebrate Recovery, a Christ-centered 12-step recovery program, also found a home at First Methodist.
Taking inventory of the stock at the church becomes an opportunity for Hanssen to talk about the people who benefit from them. Maybe they’re hungry. Maybe they need some essential toiletries. Maybe they just need someone to listen.
“There are so many hardship stories out there,” he says. At Celebrate Recovery, “It’s not just for drugs and alcohol but for any kind of hurt, habit, or hang-up. It could be anger issues, self-worth issues, grieving, or something like a divorce or a dysfunctional family,” Hanssen says. “It could be just about anything — anger, trust, control issues, pornography — we cover the basics.”
Jeannie Hanssen (right) and Nancy Edwards help prepare turkeys for First Methodist Church’s annual Free Thanksgiving Community Meal, set for 11 a.m. Nov. 27.
Weekly meetings run 6 p.m. to 9 at the church with a hot meal, worship and small group interaction, strictly confidential. People from all walks are making real progress, Hanssen said, and they’re helping others do the same.
“It’s just great to see that change in their lives. It has to be on their terms. They have to want this. It’s available. The door’s open – they can come in. But, they have to make that choice to want to do this.”
Gladewater schools provide breakfast and lunch to all students on weekdays, and the backpack program is helping fill the weekend meal gap.
Each box from East Texas Food Bank contains eight backpack bags. The latest batch included two pop-top foods, shelf life milk, a juice box, single-serve cereal, and a yogurt squeeze. It’s not a lot of food, Hanssen laments, but it is nutritious, and it’s making a difference for families.
In the past decade the outreach has grown from 25 participants to 138. Its biggest obstacles are, naturally, funding and volunteers. The community continues to provide, though.
“We’ve got a great group of volunteers from this church” as well as Gladewater Church of the Nazarene and others, Hanssen said, about 20 people altogether, working with school personnel. Fundraisers and donors help cover expenses: “I love it when Gladewater people, Gladewater companies or organizations come together and help.”
Thanksgiving and other school breaks are a particular challenge for the students, Hanssen noted, and the churches’ volunteers step up.
“On holidays we do two bags of food for each kid,” he said, “something to hold them over into the next week as well.”
Gladewater City Council member Rocky Hawkins applauded Hanssen at a recent meeting’s ‘Community Spotlight,’ praising his years of volunteering with the program.
“Families depend on that every week,” Hawkins said. Hanssen contributes to East Texas Food Bank’s regular giveaway at the rodeo grounds. Through all his efforts, “He has helped hundreds of young men and women and families. He is a silent servant in our community, and he does a good job at it.”
Hanssen will keep pitching in wherever he can.
“It gives me an opportunity to set up a lifeboat for those who need saving,” he says. “It’s an opportunity to share the Gospel and plant seeds.”
Somebody else waters, and God makes them grow. I’m just a small part of that. I like to share and be involved, to see the difference it makes in people’s lives.
“It’s such a blessing to work for a carpenter who saved my life.”
- By James Draper