Four years ago, Nitchka Rodriguez was a single mother of four, just out of prison. She was hungry and lost. She had nowhere to go.

PICHI CHUANG/DMN

Lori Hall (left), Angels R Us director, helps Stephanie Smith find pants for Ms. Smith's son.

Child Protective Services referred her to Lori Hall, director of Angels R Us, a volunteer group in East Dallas that helps troubled women find a new start.

Ms. Rodriguez, now 43, got diapers, food, clothing and a children's car seat.

More than that, "I found my dignity," she said.

She got back on her feet by volunteering for others. She found a job and remarried.

"Ms. Hall helped me have the confidence to reconnect emotionally and spiritually and have a grateful heart," Ms. Rodriguez said. "She is truly my angel."

Angels R Us, which is funded through grants and donations, holds its third annual Hats and Halos dinner and auction Friday. Officials hope to raise $10,000.

The agency's 15 volunteers have been angels to countless women in the area since the group started in 2002. Last year, the agency served 554 adults and 1,070 children.

School supplies, eyeglasses and Christmas gifts are given to needy children. Volunteers go grocery shopping for the elderly.

They also help women return to school or find a job. They help them set goals.

Angels R Us began almost by accident, when Ms. Hall was working as a family and adult minister at St. Pius X Catholic Community, on Gus Thomasson Road in East Dallas.

She began offering sessions on parenting, marriage and women's issues. Ms. Hall, who has been married for 22 years and has three children, faced some difficulties growing up. She felt that she could reach out to others, given her experience.

Calls began flooding the church office as soon as the announcement was placed in the church bulletin, she said. But women weren't calling to sign up to talk about their issues. They were calling to beg for food and clothing for their children.

"Women are not apt to care for themselves emotionally, but they are quick to seek help for their children," she said.

An old house on church property became an outreach center. At first, it was open one Saturday a month. Within a year, it was open five days a week, and Ms. Hall quit her church job to become the full-time volunteer director of Angels R Us.

"We are all on a journey together," she said.

"The more I help others find their direction in life, the better focused I become on my calling."

Annette Nevins is a Plano-based freelance writer.