Temperatures were dropping, children were counting down the days to break, families were getting in the holiday spirit. At the Catholic Charities office in Wilmington, staff were focused on ensuring all families are able to enjoy the holiday season, through the “Wrapped with Love” Christmas Program. Families from six counties in southeastern NC: Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, New Hanover, and Pender, are able to access gifts for their children through this program. In the week… Read More
Greg first came to Catholic Charities by chance. He read the sign outside the Harrelson Center and saw Catholic Charities. He was welcomed by staff and shared why he needed help. Greg was going to a job interview that day and had spilled coffee all over his shirt. He desperately needed a clean shirt. His only request was that it had to be pink, his favorite color. Emilie Hart, Cape Fear Regional Director, knew another… Read More
From the September / October Edition of NC Catholics The coast is famous for its palm trees. Turns out that a new partnership — dubbed the Sharing Tree — is a special addition as well. Wilmington’s St. Mark Catholic Church and the Catholic Charities Cape Fear Region teamed up on the project to serve families in need. Father Patrick Keane, who was the pastor of St. Mark Catholic Church at the time of the project’s… Read More
“You know what was a fun hurricane? Hurricane Bertha.” The Inscore family sits around the living room, reminiscing on past disasters. “No,” their son chimes in, “you went to your parents’ for Bertha. You’re thinking of Floyd.” “That’s right,” answers David. “Hurricane Floyd, we stayed at the motel. The power went out, and we were the only ones with a battery. The whole building was dark, and we had the only light. All the kids… Read More
Roughly three-quarters of a mile down a dusty dirt road sits a home. This home has raised three children into adults, and seen a few hurricanes in its 13 years, but nothing like Florence. Ms. Ingrid, the owner, told us that the road it sits on runs through family land. As soon as her ancestors got off the boat at Ellis Island they made their way to coastal NC to settle. They were fisherman by… Read More
It’s obvious that Darlene is fighting back tears. “I’m sorry,” she says. “I don’t normally get emotional like this. It’s just been so hard, and I’ve been on my own for so long – I’m not used to having to ask for help. And I can’t let my girls see me cry. They’ve been through enough.” But the good news is that this is it. The final stretch. Almost six long months after the storm,… Read More
As Christmas approaches, a new collaboration between Catholic Charities and The Green Chair Project is providing families impacted by Hurricane Florence with furniture as they move into new homes. Following the devastating storm, many homes were flooded, not only forcing families to find new living spaces, but also ruining their furniture. Now, as homes dry out and families start the long recovery process, families are moving back into repaired homes or into new rental units… Read More
On Saturday, April 29th, volunteers from Work on Wilmington generously gave of their time to build and plant a Food Pantry Garden for the Catholic Charities Cape Fear office. Work On Wilmington is organized each year by the current class of Leadership Wilmington. Leadership Wilmington is a ten-month program to educate, challenge, and motivate leaders and future leaders for the betterment of the community. Work on Wilmington brings people together to roll up their sleeves… Read More
On Sunday April 15th, a combination of youth groups from various churches around Wilmington came together for the Be the Light event. Be the Light hosts several projects each year and chose Catholic Charities as the beneficiary of their spring event. At the two hour event held at the Pine Valley Baptist Church, youth put together birthday bags for the Capes and Tiaras Birthday club program where children in poverty get a toy and all… Read More
On Tuesday, October 3rd, Catholic Charities partnered with UNC Wilmington (UNCW) to provide free health screenings to the public. Eight UNCW senior nursing students, supervised by their professor Melissa Reedy, traveled to the Harrelson Center for the event. At the event, individuals were able to have their blood pressure and glucose levels checked. Following the screenings, students would review the results with the individuals so they had a better understanding of their health. The senior… Read More
