BY DEBBIE PAGE
The Iredell County Homeless Coalition is continuing its work in the community and preparing for the cold weather and the upcoming holiday season. Those in need of assistance for their children’s Christmas gifts are reminded to contact school counselors now for information and referrals to area holiday gift drives.
SUPPLIES/FOOD DRIVE REPLACES CANCELLED LONGEST TABLE EVENTS
Though the Longest Table events have been canceled in Statesville and Mooresville, the effort to help those in the North Carolina mountains and locally is continuing. The United Way will be collecting needed items to go to Western North Carolina, as well as canned goods for our local food pantry, as originally planned for these events.
Organizers will be accepting donations from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 8, on North Mulberry Street in Statesville. Please enter North Mulberry Street off Walnut Street to drop off donations and exit onto West End Avenue.
Please only bring the items being requested below due to specific distribution requirements.
Western NC Needs
♦ Baby Wipes
♦ Diapers & Pull-ups
♦ Soap
♦ Toothpaste & Toothbrushes
♦ Disinfectant Wipes
Statesville Community Needs
♦ Canned Vegetables
♦ Canned Fruit
♦ Canned Soup/Pasta
♦ Canned Meat
♦ Canned Milk
OTHER HELP FOR WESTERN NC
Sheldon Donaldson of I-CARE said that his organization offers job training to help local people or those displaced from the mountains prepare for new jobs. The organization’s Headstart program in Iredell, Catawba, and Alexander counties can also help provide childcare for those locally as well as those displaced from the mountains.
Wendy Martin, Goodwill Project Re-entry Program Coordinator, revealed that over half of the organization’s stores are in western North Carolina, and they are still trying to locate their employees to check on their welfare.
David Nolan, shelter manager at Fifth Street Ministries said that they have an empty family wing and spaces in the men’s and women’s shelter available for those in need. In the Veterans House, one bed is available, along one room available in the organization’s offender space.
Fifth Street is also continuing DoorDash deliveries of food to community members in need of food support. Those interested can contact the shelter (704-872-4045) to sign up for this program.
Thomas Douglas of the Statesville Housing Authority noted that those who are displaced by disaster go to the top of the authority’s waitlist, so agencies in the area can refer those who are displaced in western North Carolina to SHA for help (110 W Allison Street, Statesville or call 704-761-4500).
Scotty Moore of The Christian Mission in Mooresville said that in the last few days, they are seeing more people who are displaced from the mountains. Three or four have been inquiring for help with relocation and other needs.
Martin also noted that some agencies will help those displaced by the flooding disaster to purchase bus tickets to get to relatives and places of support in other areas. “We need to be looking for ways to help them as they arrive,” she said.
Some local homeless people have already started inquiring about opportunities to work in the mountains with reconstruction and relief efforts. If anyone knows of employment opportunities in Western North Carolina, contact Martin at wmartin@goodwillnwnc.org.
OTHER NEWS
♦ Fifth Street Ministries Executive Director Michele Knapp said the organization is in the process of moving veterans into their four new tiny homes after vetting them for readiness for independent living.
♦ Sandy Tabor Gray said that The Christian Mission continues to offer scholarships for drug or alcohol treatment and for sober living facilities. Contact Tabor-Gray at stabor-gray@ourchristianmission.org for more information.
Tabor-Gray noted that the homeless population in Mooresville is continuing to increase. They have placed three people in local housing recently.
The Christian Mission serves Iredell County from Troutman down to the southern county border. The nonprofit offers clothing, tents, sleeping bags, food, and other services to the area homeless.
♦ Rob Harris of Restoration Road Ministries noted that homelessness is increasing all over the area. A recent Surrey County homeless survey showed a huge increase in its homeless population, counting 87 people living without shelter.
“This is an indication of what is going on in our area” even before the disaster in Western North Carolina, he said.
CHRISTMAS PROGRAMS GEARING UP
♦ The Salvation Army is in desperate need of warehouse space to accommodate its annual Christmas drive for underprivileged children. The warehousing space is needed to store gifts from area Angel Trees as they come in and to provide space for organization of gifts.
Anyone with information or space for this project should contact the Salvation Army in Statesville at 704-872-5623, at their 1361 Caldwell Street location in Statesville, or email StatesvilleNC@uss.salvationarmy.org.
The organization’s longtime leaders have retired, but the Angel Tree project (https://saangeltree.org/) is still on with interim Major Donna McGee coordinating the effort.
♦ Community Resource Coordinator Lori Carlson said that the Mooresville Police Department is starting to take referrals for its Heroes and Helpers Christmas program, open to specific children ages five through eight in the Mooresville area. They are looking for children who have had some kind of trauma in their lives, including homelessness, the loss of parent or other challenging situation. Contact her at LCarlson@MooresvilleNC.gov for more information.
Agencies were advised to start searching for and applying for grant funds to help them fill donation and gift gaps for the quickly approaching Christmas season.
UPCOMING EVENTS
♦ Fifth Street’s Empty Bowl Fundraiser scheduled for October 27 from 12 to 2 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Statesville. The cost is $45 per person, and each person will receive a handmade bowl from a local pottery filled with delicious soup.
♦ On November 9 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Foundation of Hope Ministries, Village Partnership, Matthew 25, and the Statesville Police Department is having a community event at Alex Cooper Park (516 Fayetteville Avenue) in Statesville.
♦ The Christian Mission in Mooresville is having its annual fundraiser, the Turkey Trot 5K, on Thanksgiving morning. Those interested can go to The Christian Mission website (https://thechristianmission.org/turkey-trot/) to sign up for the race, which usually has over 1,000 participants. The event also includes a kid run.