Meet Sydney Portilla-Diggs | CEO and Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sydney Portilla-Diggs and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sydney, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
Any Step Community Services began as a passion project. When I received a devastating breast cancer diagnosis, I began to assess my life in a different way. I had never done anything to serve the poor in a meaningful way. After receiving an invitation to travel to Costa Rica with some friends, I convinced my husband to help me plan a mission trip. We collected and donated items to distribute to an elderly home in Heredia, Costa Rica. The experience was so moving we decided to return in between my surgeries. On the next visit, we arrived in time to fill up the food pantry for the elderly residents in the nick of time. Afterwards, I started thinking that “maybe” I should do something to serve the elderly in my own community of Dallas. I literally prayed for a sign from God and the answer came in the form of a check in my mailbox, which gave me to funds I needed to start the process a nonprofit organization.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 National Population Projections. By 2030, all baby boomers will be older than age 65. This will expand the size of the older population so that 1 in every 5 residents will be retirement age.

“The aging of baby boomers means that within just a couple decades, older people are projected to outnumber children for the first time in U.S. history,” said Jonathan Vespa, a demographer with the U.S. Census Bureau.

The mission of Any Step Community Services is to support older adult households with essential needs in Greater Dallas-Fort Worth, which includes the goal of providing the most nutritional food options.

We are different than the typical food bank. Our main focus is providing more nutritional food options to the older adults we serve. We solicit food donations from a selective list created by a team that includes a licensed/certified dietician and a certified nutrition/health coach.

I am proud of our Healthy Steps Recipe Kit Program, which provides simple recipes of high nutritional value, and teaches seniors how to best combine food received from food banks. Kits include a recipe card, food listed on the recipe card, nutrition tips, and information on applying for the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Seniors who participate in Healthy Steps must agree to complete surveys throughout the program. Surveys will show the program’s effect, expedite needed changes, and help plan program growth. 9 out of 10 participants learned how to shop for and healthier food.

I am excited about the core values we have that identify who we are and what we do. We call these our stepping stones:

B. Balance. Self-care has to be a top priority. We cannot serve on an empty tank.
U. Understanding. We must ask the ones we serve what they need instead of deciding for them.
I. Integrity. It is our responsibility to serve with honesty and equity by executing our DEI policy.
L. Love. Serving with compassion and empathy will allow us to connect and form relationships with those we serve.
D. Dignity. Aging is a privilege. Our older adults will thrive when serve the whole person with respect. Body, mind, and spirit.

We also strive to serve the whole person with opportunities to maintain their dignity, enhance socialization, and provide education on health and wellness.

I recently retired from teaching at Collin College where I taught Introduction to Humanities to dual credit high school students at The Colony High School Collegiate Academy. I know the power that education provides.
Older adult often have the daunting task of deciding what to spend their limited funds on. With the health and wellness education Any Step provides, they can make educated decisions on nutritional food choices and cooking.

It was not especially easy to transition to the nonprofit sector; however, I attribute my success to taking on the posture of a learner. I have learned that it takes much more than passion and desire to meet the needs of the older adults in a significant way. I am grateful for the mentors who have guided me along the way.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The Dallas skyline is one of my favorites. I never grow tired of looking at the architecture by day and the city lights by night. Depending upon the season, the DFW area is a sportsmen’s dream; we have the World Champion Texas Rangers, the Dallas Cowboys, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Dallas Stars. The DFW area boasts some great museums; the DMA in Dallas and the Kimball in Fort Worth are among my favorites. Dallas has a myriad of restaurants ranging from the trendy eateries, coffee shops to upscale restaurants. The people of the Metroplex are friendly and helpful; you might walk away with your new best friend!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
1. In our genesis, our strategic vision to be more than a gap-stop organization led to a formal partnership with The Senior Source in 2020. This partnership affords us a professional place to do business, moving us from our living
room to a reputable home with a longstanding senior serving organization. We receive invaluable mentorship
and many of the rights and privileges of The Senior Source staff with free will to evolve how we serve seniors
and the community.
2. In addition, I have received invaluable mentorship from two nonprofit industry gurus Kimberly O’Neil of Cause Studio and Giving Blueprint, and Dr. Froswa Booker-Drew of Soulstice Consultancy, LLC and co-founder of Heritage Giving Circle.
3. Also, the founding executive board, which includes my husband Sherman Diggs has provided endless hours of support and sacrifice to bring this passion project to fruition.

Website: www.anystepcommunity.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/anystepcommunity

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/any-step-community-services

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnyStepCommunit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnyStepCoaching