Worship. Serve. Grow.

Dorcas Ministries News

May 22, 2019

2018 – A Year to Remember at Dorcas Ministries

  • Dorcas Ministries celebrated 50 years of service to our community. 
  • Donations from the community and proceeds from the Thrift Shop enabled Dorcas to serve almost 25,000 clients and distribute $1.5 million in client assistance and food.
  • Our 600 volunteers gave over 93,000 hours of their time to the Dorcas Thrift Shop and Client Services.
  • Dorcas Thrift Shop now has two Store Managers enabling Dorcas to have a Store Manager on site all hours the store is open, helping provide consistent service to our customers.
  • To better accommodate the increased volume of donations, major renovations started in our donation and work areas making donating items easier, improving safety for volunteers and increasing efficiency in processing.
  • The annual Thanksgiving breakfast fundraiser was attended by over 550 supporters and set a new record of $265,000 in donations and pledges.

Volunteer
Volunteer Openings include Outreach Reception, Outreach Scheduler, Food Pantry, Cashier, and Admin Reception.  If you are interested in any of these roles or would like to know more, please contact Ellen Frazier at 919 469-9861 Ext 101 or email Ellen@dorcascary.org

The Dorcas Thrift Shop is located at 187 High House Road in Cary.  If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or learning more about Dorcas Ministry, contact me at nfierke@bellsouth.net or call me at 919-467-8807.

Career Advancement Program
Dorcas Ministries can help you with tuition for training to get a better job, qualified living expenses, and career coaching. The goal is to help you qualify for a Better Paying Job and Career Path! Interested? Give Craig a call at 919-369-9861, ext 206 or email Craig@dorcascary.org or visit https://dorcascary.org/services/job-training-center/

Drop Off Hours:

Dorcas Crisis Ministry exists to serve local residents who find themselves in a temporary financial crisis, using proceeds from the Dorcas Thrift Shop.  The Thrift Shop is a great place for back to school shopping as well as Christmas shopping.

Contributions to the Thrift Shop can be dropped off as follows:

  • Monday-Friday: 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
  • Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
  • Closed on Sundays.

All donations are eligible for a tax receipt during business hours.

Dorcas Testimonies:

Storms in May
The perfect storm came in May. Marie was making summer plans for her 4 school aged boys, but life had a different forecast. Marie lost her job on Monday. On Tuesday, she had to be rushed to Wake Med with chest pains. She was okay but the visit meant a pile of medical bills that she could not afford to pay. It was a once-in-a-lifetime tornado of stress.

As her debt snow-balled and she desperately searched for a job, the kids got out of school for the summer, and she had no food to feed them. That’s when Marie came to Dorcas.

She got help with her mounting bills. She was approved to shop in the food pantry until she could get back on her feet. The storm clouds broke and she found a good-paying job in July. Praise God!

Today, Marie and the boys are doing well and looking forward to a new summer filled with sunshine!. Thanks to generous donations of healthy food, Dorcas is able to feed hundreds of families every summer.

From Home-LESS to Home-OWNER: A Veteran’s Story
When Angela came to Dorcas for housing help, she and her son were homeless and feeling hopeless. She met with Katie, the Dorcas Housing Case Manager, trying to work on a solution, but it was a tough situation. Even though she had found a solid job with good income, due to her previous eviction, she couldn’t get approved for a lease.

Then Angela dared to do the seemingly impossible—could she buy a home? To her surprise and delight, as a veteran, she qualified for a VA home loan! Within days Angela had a contract on a small house with a closing scheduled for Halloween. She used her little savings on closing costs and just had to figure out what to do for the two weeks until she moved into her new home – after that she would have enough income to cover her expenses. With a clear end date in sight, the Dorcas Emergency Housing Program paid for those two weeks in a hotel.

This Thanksgiving, Angela and her son will eat Thanksgiving dinner in their own home!