Volunteer Opportunities
The Beach Food Pantry’s mission is to provide free groceries to Dare County individuals and families in our community who have been affected by a temporary crisis or emergency. Established in 1989, it offers hope to the estimated 5,680 people in Dare County who are food insecure – 1,550 of whom are children. And, it offers their commitment – to every Dare County resident – that BFP will be prepared to do their part should our Outer Banks community ever be affected by a natural event.
The people and families that the Beach Food Pantry serve are given a minimum two-week supply of food based on family size. It provides temporary assistance, with a minimum of 30 days required between visits. In addition to having food available for Dare County residents to “shop,” the Beach Food Pantry offers shopping on-line and then coming to pick up the food, has a summer program for food for kids, and offers special food bags for holiday dinners.
Beach Food Pantry is located in Kitty Hawk, on the bypass. It is open Monday through Friday, 2-4 p.m. Our church provides volunteers to help the clients “shop,” every other month for a whole week. Notices are placed in the bulletins and newsletters when the next volunteer week is approaching. Anyone interested in helping is welcome — whether it be just once or several times a year.
If you are interested in serving with us at the Food Pantry, contact coordinator Barb Nowland here.
Room In The Inn provides housing and other services to the homeless from November through early April. Housing is in a building next door to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. On average, Room in the Inn provides food, shelter, and other services to around 35 men and women ranging from from 18 to 81 years of age. All guests receive access to free clothing, backpacks, food, water, and hygiene products. Participants need to pass a daily drug/alcohol test and abide by the housing rules in order to stay in the facility. Room in the Inn now also offers emergency housing and is piloting a transitioning housing program.
Room in the Inn employees are available for client intake, transport, and chaperoning during the night. Our church, along with other churches in the area, provides meals for a week at a time and several members also volunteer in numerous other capacities. If you would like to volunteer with Room in the Inn, please contact Tanta Luckhardt-Hendricks here.
For more information about RITI and the full seasonal report, visit RITI’s webpage.
Ruthie’s Community Kitchen, with a mission of ‘Feeding the Hungry,’ serves free dinners every Tuesday evening from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Dinners are being handed out/served at Son Rise Church of Christ, 1311 Goldie Street in Kill Devil Hills.
The Kitchen began when Ruthie Rigor left some money in her will to St. Andrews Episcopal Church. Parishioners got together with parishioners from other churches and decided to have a community kitchen and use Ruthie’s money for beverages, paper goods, silverware, and cleaning supplies. His Dream Center was selected since it is ecumenical and centrally located. The location has changed a few times over the years. The first meal was served in October 2009 and meals continue to be served every Tuesday night.
Starting in 2020, Ruthie’s Kitchen continued to adapt to COVID protocols. (Much credit should be given to Gail Leonard, who led this long running community-wide outreach dinner program that evolved from Tuesday sit-down dinners to drive-thru pickup meals. )
OBPC grew from providing seated meals to now assembling the meals in our church and delivering up to 80+ meals each time (usually 4-5 times a year) to Son Rise church’s parking lot.
In 2021, we provided a total of 366 meals consisting of fried chicken purchased from Publix, with volunteers bringing applesauces, green beans, dinner rolls, fresh hand held fruits, desserts, and bottled waters. We assembled them in our fellowship hall in “travel ready” containers . Then 2-3 volunteers drove them to Son Rise. Overall, more than 45 volunteers participated. Many on a regular basis, some for one or two dinner events, and a few volunteers from out-of-state who joined us while here on their vacations. The joy shown by participants donating funds, time, or talents and working together to serve the Lord has been one of the overarching highlights of being involved with Ruthie’s Kitchen.
For more information, please contact Linda Campbell at lindagbc103@gmail.com.
