Six nonprofits in North Texas received checks this week from a restaurant raising money for mental health. May is "Mental Health Awareness Month," and employees at Neon Cactus participated in an "ice bucket challenge" to raise awareness.
"It's not only about food, it's about community, people working together and trying to give back to the place where we stay," says Executive Chef AJ Bhai. "You cannot always be taking. It's time to put back."
Over the course of the month, Neon Cactus has donated ten percent of sales on particular days to the nonprofits which included Mental Health America of Greater Dallas, National Alliance on Mental Illness North Texas, MENtal MATTERs, Camp 2020, Grant Halliburton Foundation, and Lifepath Systems Foundation.
LifePath Systems Foundation works with people who have behavioral, developmental or intellectual disabilities in Collin County. The organization was launched in 1986 and provides mental health, substance abuse and developmental services.
"We're providing resources, coaching them, counseling them, and not just them, their families, too," says the organization's Deanna Easley. "A lot of times, we provide wrap-around services for an individual's entire life. All the people who support that individual, we give them resources to facilitate their growth."
LifePath Systems also helps peer counseling for people considering suicide. Easley says those who have survived suicide attempts or had a loved one commit suicide can provide support or a "shoulder to cry on."
"It can be just saying, 'I acknowledge your feelings. This is going to be the worst day of your life, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel,'" she says.
Easley says the group provided resources to people after the shooting at Allen Premium Outlets in 2023.
MENtal MATTERs works to build wellness among Black men. The group provides workshops, retreats and mentorship programs.
"Our overall mission is to promote, protect and prioritize Black men's mental health," says Vice President Tomeka Taylor. "We do that by creating safe spaces for Black men to come and share their everyday problems they may be having, different concerns they may be having."
Taylor says MENtal MATTERs also has coordinators at those sessions who can connect men to services that might help.
"We're not just about talking about it," she says. "We try to also connect them to resources that can help them lead purposeful lives."
The National Alliance on Mental Illness launched Mental Health Awareness Month in 1949 to address "challenges faced by millions of Americans living with mental health conditions." In February 2023, during the COVID-19 pandemic, in February 2021, the organization says 43.4% of Texas adults reported symptoms of anxiety or depression. Each year, the alliance says one in 20 adults across the country experience "serious mental illness."
In 2023, the Texas Department of State Health Services says 29.3% of Texans reported their mental health was "not good" for at least five days in the past month, up from 18.3% in 2015. About 16% say their mental health was "not good" for at least 14 days, up from 10% in 2015.
"For Neon Cactus to recognize us and say, 'Hey, we want to support the work you are doing,' we count that as a blessing," MENtal MATTERs' Taylor says.
LifePath Systems' Easley says events like the ice bucket challenge can also help people who might be struggling learn what services are available.
"Our job is to evangelize what we do," she says. "It is to get in front of people, shout from the rooftops, 'This is what we have. Please, please come see us if you need it. Please, please come talk to somebody. If we don't have it, we can refer you somewhere else.'"
After delivering the checks, Fairview firefighters dumped buckets of ice on Neon Cactus employees. Bhai says he hopes a fun event can also get people to start talking who might otherwise think a mental health condition would carry a stigma.
"In my opinion, the more people who talk about a problem or issue, the easier it is for someone to approach and say, 'I have a problem,' and we can fix it," he says. "Otherwise, we end up ostracizing everybody. Being out in the open, we're all accepting mental health is a huge need we have to address."