This week Interfaith Community Outreach, Inc. in partnership with, The Outer Banks Community Foundation has received an anonymous donation in the amount of $5,000 to help our neighbors in need that are facing a temporary emergency crisis due to being Furloughed with the government shutdown.  These funds will be used to help furloughed workers with paying everyday bills, rent, mortgage, gas, electric, etc.  If you are furloughed and need assistance, please contact ICO at 252-480-0070 or go online to www.interfaithoutreach.com to apply for assistance.  

Interfaith Community Outreach (ICO) mission is to provide assistance to individuals facing a temporary emergency crisis.    Last year ICO was able to help 947 families, and give back to our community over $250,000 in direct outreach.  ICO office is in Kill Devil Hills at 115 Mustian Street.  If you’d like to make a donation, join their volunteer staff, or refer someone, please call 252-480-0070. 

We need your support to help those in need. 

If you are in a position to help, please assist your neighbors today with a tax-deductible gift to ICO or go to www.obcf.org/donate. 

FOOD PANTRY RESOURCES

DARE COUNTY

COLINGTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Mobile Food Drop

252-441-2661

First Flight Elementary School

107 Veterans Drive, Kill Devil Hills 27948

3^rd Wednesday of every month

Dare County residents ONLY

4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

BEACH FOOD PANTRY

4007 N Croatan Highway (Beside Mattress Firm)

Kitty Hawk, NC 27949
252-261-2756

Monday – Friday 

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Beachfoodpantry.org

COMMUNITY BREAD BASKET

Outer Banks Community Church

902 South Virginia Dare Trail (MP 9)

Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948

252-441-7633

Each Thursday from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

www.obxcc.org

ROANOKE ISLAND FOOD PANTRY

Mt. Olivet United Methodist Church

300 Ananias Dare St Manteo, NC 27954
252-473-2089 

Monday – Friday 

9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

mountolivetumc.org/food-pantry/

SOURCE OF HOPE FOOD PANTRY

Source Church

Sourcechurch.org/source-of-hope/

318 Budleigh St

Manteo, NC 27954

Tuesdays & Fridays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

252-473-1911

MANTEO BAPTIST

406 US Hwy 64, Manteo

252-473-2840

3^rd Wednesday from 1:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.

OCEAN VIEW BAPTIST CHURCH

902 Virginia Dare Trail (Beach Road)

Kill Devil Hills

Bread, Rolls, Donuts, Pastries, etc.

Thursdays – Noon to 2 p.m.

DARE COUNTY SCHOOLS

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

During school week

Free and reduced breakfasts & lunches are available for school-age children meeting federal eligibility guidelines. Call or visit your child’s school office for more information.

daretolearn.org

Weekends and Holidays

Provides nutritious breakfasts, lunches and snacks to school-age children meeting federal eligibility criteria. Call of visit your child’s school for more information.

daretolearn.org

LIFELINE OUTREACH OBX

23500 Highway 12

Rodanthe, NC 27968

252-489-0306

Wednesdays 10:00am – 12:00pm

Saturdays 1:00pm – 3:00pm

SENIOR NUTRITION SERVICES

Dare county offers older adults who are at least 60 years of age with a nutritionally balanced meal five days per week served in a congregate group setting or delivered to the home. For more information about the Nutrition Services Program and eligibility requirements, call

Dare County Center 252-475-9279 or 

Baum Center 252-475-5637

HOT MEALS –DARE COUNTY

RUTHIE’S KITCHEN 

SON RISE CHURCH OF CHRIST

Free hot meals provided by area businesses & churches

No ticket or reservations needed

1311 Goldie Street, Kill Devil Hills 27948

(252) 441-8119

Every Tuesday

5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

ruthiescommunitykitchen.com

KITTY HAWK BAPTIST CHURCH

3946 N. Croatan Hwy, Kitty Hawk

252-261-3516

Every Wednesday

 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

KITTY HAWK UNITED METHODIST 

803 W. Kitty Hawk Road, Kitty Hawk

252-261-2062

Every Wednesday

5:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

CURRITUCK COUNTY

LOWER CURRITUCK FOOD PANTRY

109 Forbes Loop # 4 

Near ‘The Shops of Grandy’

Grandy, NC 27939

252-202-6005

Tuesday 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

NO VOUCHERS NEEDED

Current photo I.D. or other form of identification verifying residency required.

Lowercurrituckfoodpantry.weebly.com

PILMOOR UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

192 Courthouse Road

Currituck, NC 27929

252-232-2136

Monday, Wednesday & Friday 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

(Call in advance to confirm Pantry is open)

Closed Federal Holidays

Must be a Currituck County resident.

Current photo I.D. or other form of identification verifying residency required.

BREAD OF LIFE

Currituck Bible Baptist Church

252-453-0048 ~ Please call for address

Serving Barco to Point Harbor

Tuesday 10am to noon

Thursday 4pm to 5:30pm

FELLOWSHIP BAPTIST CHURCH

Food Pantry

871 Tulls Creek Road

Moyock, NC 27958

(252) 435-6453

Every Wednesday 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Appointments requested but not required

3^rd Friday of every month

1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

Appointments preferred

FURLOUGHED WORKERS RESOURCES:

• The Town of Manteo will be waiving all water and sewer late fees and penalties to all Town water and sewer customers who are affected by the Federal Government shutdown.  If you have any questions please contact the Town of Manteo Water and Sewer Department at 252-473-2133.

• As long as the government is shut down, Blue Water Grill will offer FREE lunches to Coasties and the National Park Service employees and their families (with proper ID).  Dine with us anytime between 11:30am-4pm and you and your spouse will enjoy a FREE “blue Plate” special.  Children may order items from the Kid’s Menu (12 & under).  Alcohol and gratuity are not included.  252-473-1955.

• Cosmo’s Pizza the Marketplace in Southern Shores- FREE large one topping pizza every Tuesday, all day for government employees.

• Mulligans– with the purchase of a beverage, government employees and their families can have any menu item under $10 or $10 off any item all day every Wednesday.

• Red Sky Cafe-FREE lunch once a week for government employees, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday-Specific menu items will be offered.

• Reynolds Barber Shop in Manteo-to all our regular customers, if you are a government employee affected by the current shut down, please consider all of your haircuts on us until the shutdown has ended.

• Max’s Pizza Company in Kitty Hawk is offering a free cheese pizza per family per week until the shutdown is over.

• Dare County Water Department will assist any federal or government employees that have received a water bill form Dare County. We will waive the late fees and will not lock the meters during this shut down if they are not assisted by any agency that may help them during this crisis.

• Thomas McGrady -owner of Sunshine Family Pharmacy has offered assistance getting medications at their location in Duck for families affected by the government shutdown. Their address is 1187 Duck Rd and phone number is 252-715-0170. Contact Thomas to inquire about assistance.

• Source Church Community Dinners, Thursdays 252-473-1911

• Kitty Hawk United Methodist Church, “The Bridge” Dinners on Wednesdays at 5:45PM.

• Jolly Rogers Restaurant- $1.99 Breakfast is free for Furloughed Employees Monday-Fridays.

• Spanky’s Restaurant is giving free BBBQ, fires and drink to furloughed employees.

PLACES TO DONATE FOR FURLOUGHED WORKERS

• Interfaith Community Outreach (ICO) mission is to provide assistance to individuals facing a temporary emergency crisis.    Last year ICO was able to help 947 families, and give back to our community over $250,000 in direct outreach.  ICO office is in Kill Devil Hills at 115 Mustian Street.  If you’d like to make a donation, join their volunteer staff, or refer someone, please call 252-480-0070 MONETARY DONATIONS 

• Sector Field Office- 114 Woodhill Drive, Nags Head 252-986-2175 non cash donations and non-perishable donations 

• Beach Food Pantry, food cards, non-cash donations and non-perishable donations (see list attached of all pantries)

• Kitty Hawk United Methodist Church –food cards, non-cash donations and non-perishable donations

Original Article from Outer Banks Community Foundation: https://www.obcf.org/obcf-grant-will-help-interfaith-help-more-people-with-cancer/

Update: November 21, 2018: We are so terribly sad to learn of Jennifer Wall’s passing on November 20. Truly, heaven has a new angel. We extend our thoughts and prayers to her family and friends.

When Jennifer Wall was diagnosed with cancer in May of 2015, she was frightened for herself and her family.

“I was diagnosed with cancer of the liver bile ducts. As a young mother of two young children, I was scared at the seriousness—and what the future would hold for myself and my family.” A graduate of East Carolina University, Jennifer lived in Kitty Hawk and owned a small business in Kill Devil Hills, all while being a mom.

As Jennifer fought her battle with cancer, she endured surgery and months of radiation in Raleigh. Meanwhile, her family began to struggle with the costs of child care and travel. The medical bills piled up, and Jennifer’s family started to fall behind.

The challenges facing Jennifer are distressingly common. Approximately one third of working-age cancer patients go into debt, according to Kaiser Permanente, and cancer patients are almost three times more likely to file for bankruptcy, according to the National Institutes of Health.

No one should face cancer alone, and here in the Outer Banks, they don’t have to.

In 2016, Jennifer discovered a charity called Interfaith. Established in 2004, Interfaith Community Outreach is a nonprofit organization in Kill Devil Hills that helps people like Jennifer who are struggling with a temporary, emergency crisis. Over these past two years, Interfaith has been helping Jennifer with living and travel expenses while she seeks cancer treatment.

If cancer seems like a growing phenomenon, that’s because it is. Almost 40% of all Americans will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetimes, according to the National Cancer Institute, and Interfaith sees a rising need for their services in the Outer Banks. Last year alone, Interfaith helped 700 local cancer patients and family members, which was a 17% increase over the prior year.

But there’s good news. Interfaith now has more resources to help more people like Jennifer. A recent grant from the Outer Banks Community Foundation of almost $25,000 will help Interfaith add staff capacity to their cancer program—and increase their coffers for providing direct financial assistance.

“This grant will make such a difference,” said Jean Freeman, who has been Interfaith’s Cancer Outreach Coordinator since the program began in 2015. “In these three years, unfortunately, our cancer outreach has grown beyond our imagination. With this grant we can increase our staff hours, help more clients, and have more time to raise more funds to sustain it.”

By providing support for Interfaith’s staff, this grant is the first of its kind for the Community Foundation. Founded in 1982, the Outer Banks Community Foundation has awarded over $8 million in grants and scholarships, but their grants have traditionally focused on tangible items and capital assets and improvements.

“In the past, our grants have been for specific, one-time purchases, like power generators for Hatteras Island, the new ballfield in Ocracoke, the new building for the Beach Food Pantry, and violins for the Dare Youth Orchestra,” said Lorelei Costa, the Community Foundation’s executive director. “These grants have made a huge impact on our community, but many nonprofits, like Interfaith, need staff, not stuff, to accomplish a vital mission.”

To better address nonprofits’ needs, this summer the Community Foundation announced a significant expansion of their grants program, adding staff salaries to the list of qualified grant expenses.

“Usually funds to pay staff are the hardest dollars for a nonprofit to raise,” explained Lorelei. “Now, thanks to our generous donors, the Community Foundation’s grant funding has grown, and we are able to offer grants that include program staff wages, as well as other hard costs.”

Though Interfaith relies on a cadre of dedicated volunteers, who logged more than 6,800 hours of volunteer labor in 2017, it’s the staff that keeps the organization running efficiently—and providing care and moral support to their clients.

“In addition to the monetary help, the staff at Interfaith check on me regularly and are genuinely concerned about my cancer battle,” said Jennifer.

This kind of emotional support can make all the difference. Another Interfaith client, Kat Reilly, is a recent survivor of breast cancer. She told us: “While all of the tests, the surgeries, and the chemotherapy are taking place, the bills are mounting. A lot of the expenses are covered by insurance, but some are not.”

Then Kat found Interfaith, who helped with her rent and transportation expenses, so she could concentrate on surviving and healing from cancer.

“It’s been proven that the better the attitude, the better the chances of faster healing,” said Kat. “Taking care of the financial end of things is stressful, no way around it, and it can easily affect your attitude in a negative way. To know that there were resources in our community that exist for situations like mine was beyond comforting.”

“The Community Foundation board was so enthusiastic about supporting this grant for Interfaith, because their impact on our community is so broad and immediate,” said Lorelei. “We have already seen a high demand for grant funding for staff, so applications are competitive.”

The foundation’s official criteria give priority to grant projects that benefit a broad segment of the community, are collaborative and/or innovative, attract additional funding from other sources, and/or enhance the organization’s financial sustainability. New programs are prioritized, as well as established programs that are filling a gap and/or meeting a vital, urgent need.

“For our staffing grants, we are really scrutinizing the nonprofits’ financials carefully, and looking for strong organizations that are well-managed and follow best practices,” said Lorelei. “We’re also looking for opportunities where our grant would make a transformative difference for that nonprofit and its mission.”

Interfaith’s mission goes beyond helping people with cancer. The organization has helped over 19,000 Outer Bankers in the face of crisis, including cancer or other illnesses, hurricanes or other disasters, job loss, or death in the family.

“These are friends, neighbors, and co-workers who are struggling, many of them in silence,” said Jean. “They are struggling to pay rent in order to keep a roof over their heads, and they are living in the dark because they couldn’t afford to pay their electricity bill last month.”

“We have seen great successes with clients going into remission or getting scans showing ‘no cancer,’ but we have also lost too many clients due to this dreaded disease,” continued Jean. “Our clients are so very grateful for the help and assistance they receive during their journey fighting this disease.”

As for Jennifer, her cancer is unfortunately not curable, but she can be kept stable with continued treatments. And she and her family continue to fight heroically, with Interfaith by their side. “I am fighting on, currently in a clinical trial. My faith is steadfast and I hope to survive this battle and be able to give back to others in the future.”

The Outer Banks Community Foundation is a public charity that connects people who care with causes that matter. The Community Foundation manages $18 million in 180 charitable funds for individuals and agencies, awards grants to local nonprofits, administers 50 scholarship programs, and provides tailored services to help donors pursue their charitable interests. Since its inception in 1982, the Community Foundation has awarded more than $8 million in grants and scholarships to local nonprofits and students. The next application deadline for a Community Foundation grant is Friday, October 26.

Thank you, Towne Bank, for sponsoring the ICO 2019 Calendars. They are at the office, please stop by and pick up your calendars.

Thank you to everyone who supported the The 10th annual OBXMAS! The silent auction featured 40+ local artists selling their wares. Proceeds are benefiting the Interfaith community Outreach. Thank You! Here are some images from the event:

Did you know your purcahses can make a difference? AmazonSmile donates to Interfaith Community Outreach when you do your holiday shoping at smile.amazon.com/ch/22-3902355.