Through out next year, our shoppers will have the option to donate to the following organizations by rounding up their purchases at the register.  It’s just a little bit of spare change, but it adds up to make a huge impact in our community.

 

A Safe Place – January, February, March 2018

A Safe Place is an empowerment organization focusing on prevention, advocacy, and restoration to assist victims of commercial exploitation and domestic sex trafficking. Our vision is to create a world free from exploitation and human trafficking through community partnerships, empowerment, and opportunity. We serve New Hanover, Brunswick, Pender, and Onslow Counties and hope to expand.  We have five distinct programs. Our 24-hour toll free anonymous hotline for victims and tipsters, a transitional house for our members, an Outreach Center with direct support services for any victim, case management and we are planning to open an emergency shelter next month (December 2017). The emergency shelter will be the first of its kind on the East coast. It will have eight beds and we will be able to take victims in 24/7/365. We need to staff this shelter and still have many needs to furnish and decorate the house.

Cape Fear Literacy Council – April, May, June 2018

Cape Fear Literacy Council’s (CFLC) mission is: To provide personalized education so adults can transform their lives and contribute to a stronger community.  For more than 30 years, CFLC has been helping adults become more self-sufficient through the power of education. Adult learners participate in our Adult Literacy and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs to improve their reading, writing, English communication, math, test-taking, and computer skills. These learners have goals related to: increasing independence and confidence, improving skills for work (gaining employment or doing better in their current job), being able to support their children or grandchildren’s education, increasing life skills (e.g., understanding bills and other paperwork, reading the Bible, passing a test for a driver’s license, etc.), earning a GED or transitioning to post-secondary education, and many other personal aspirations. All funds raised through the Real Change Program would directly support our two adult education programs; Adult Literacy and English as a Second Language (ESL). Through free and confidential 1-on-1 tutoring and small group instruction, CFLC provides individualized educational opportunities to adults who are working to improve their reading, writing, English language skills, math, and computer literacy skills.

The Diaper Bank of North Carolina – July, August, September 2018

The Diaper Bank of North Carolina was founded on the simple belief that all children deserve clean diapers. This may seem obvious, but the heartbreaking truth is this: every day children go without the diapers they need to stay healthy and comfortable.  Most of us do not spend a lot of time thinking about diapers. But if you are a parent, grandparent, or caregiver without enough of them, they can become a major source of stress, guilt, and desperation. Public safety net programs such as The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, previously known as Food Stamps) do not cover the purchase of diapers, often leaving families with a difficult decision between buying diapers and other necessities with their limited funds. For families in need, something as small as a diaper can have a significant impact.  In our community, the Lower Cape Fear Branch of the Diaper Bank of North Carolina serves families in New Hanover, Pender, and Brunswick counties. Both cloth and disposable diapers are available.  In the past two years, we have distributed over 150,000 diapers to local children through partnerships in our community.

Good Shepherd Center – October, November, December

Good Shepherd’s mission is to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and foster transition to housing. Breakfast and lunch are served every weekday to anyone who comes through our doors.  Dinner is provided every night of the year to men, women, and families with children residing in our shelter. Our Second Helpings program salvages over 400 tons of produce and other healthy foods – that would otherwise be thrown away – and redistributes it to Good Shepherd’s Soup Kitchen and 16 other community programs serving the hungry. The funds from the Real Change Program would be used to support our food programs including our Soup Kitchen that served over 88,000 hot, nutritious meals last year to our hungry neighbors.  In addition, we provide weekly food boxes to our recently rehoused guests with special needs who are working hard to maintain their newfound housing.  We also provide food give-aways to our residents at SECU Lakeside Reserve (affordable housing for chronically homeless adults with a disability) and those coming to Good Shepherd for lunch.   Funding allows us to continue to provide a variety of healthy choices for our hungry neighbors and bring us closer to ending hunger in our community.