Service Projects
In March, our service project supported the YWCA “New Choices” program
In February, we collected “Soles for Souls”
The February Service Project – Soles4Souls – generated an unprecedented number of donations. Lead by Jackie Houtz. the team matched up shoes from hundreds of bags and boxes of shoes folks brought in. They matched them up, banded them, then filled 33 shipping boxes with 795 pairs of shoes. Extraordinary! (Shown above are just a few of the many folks who helped in this impressive effort.)
Thank you to everyone who participated, everyone who reached out to neighbors and friends. This project will create so much help, so much good in parts of the world where it is greatly needed. We are grateful.
We started 2024 with a Smart Start!
Thanks to all who participated in the January Service Project to support Smart Start, an organization that provides programs and builds bridges in our community to ensure every child has all they need for healthy growth and development. We collected hundreds of crayons and pencils and glue sticks to give them the supplies they use to do this important work. Pictured: Executive Director Kim Boyce and Soul Center’s Susan Carr.
Spiritual Soul Center supported 13 organizations with our tithes in 2023.
These are the organizations Spiritual Soul Center supported with our tithes in 2023: St Jude’s Homeless Lunch Program, A Safe Place, Special Pedals, Coastal Carolina Outreach, LGBTQ Center of the Cape Fear Coast, Hope Recovery Day Center, WARM, Foster Pantry, St Jude’s Feeding Ministry, Weekend Meals on Wheels, Yoga Village, Assistance League of Greater Wilmington, and Coastal BUDS.
In 2023, two of our Service Projects supported A Safe Space.
Our December Service Project provided warm clothing – scarves, gloves and shoes – for the clients of A Safe Place of Wilmington. A Safe Place was created to provide a harbor for victims of human trafficking. Their services include therapy, substance use counseling and life skills classes. Their Outreach Center remains the core of A Safe Place campus that now includes an emergency shelter and a wellness center. The May project provided summer things – things like sun hats, sunscreen, sunglasses, sports bras, legging and underwear, shampoo, conditioner and hairbrushes. Many thanks to all who provided help to this very important cause in our community.
We threw two parties – Caring Cards Parties – in 2023!
In March and early November, we held Caring Cards Parties after the Sunday service. These “parties” are a great way to enjoy fellowship while we work together to create personal greeting cards for our neighbors. Our organizer, Debby Creasy, reported that in 2023, we made about 350 Caring Cards which were distributed to folks in our community who are isolated, who don’t have many opportunities for regular human connections. These are such wonderful events – everyone participates to share their hearts with others in our community. Amazing!
In November, 2023, our Service Project was to “Share a Feast” with the clients of St. Jude.
It has become a Thanksgiving custom at Soul Center to work with St. Jude’s Community Church to help provide a fresh and complete Thanksgiving meal to their clients who are experiencing homelessness. Twenty five folks from Soul Center either showed up at St. Jude’s very early the Tuesday morning before the holiday with food donations; others gave money to fund even more food for this feast … such abundance! Thanks to everyone who participated. We are so grateful for this opportunity to serve.
Two of our 2023 Service Projects supported Vigilant Hope.
Both our October and February service projects supported the work of Vigilant Hope. Their mission is: Act Justly. Love Mercy. Walk Humbly. We helped stock their shower trailers with body wash, shampoo, bug spray and other personal toiletries items that will be kept in the shower trailers for use by all. We are grateful to support this important work being done to serve our neighbors in the community experiencing homelessness.
In September 2023, we packed over 30,000 meals with Rise Against Hunger.
Rise Against Hunger is a well-loved project and has become a tradition at Soul Center. We joined our friends at St. James and packed 36,000 meals to ship worldwide to those experiencing hunger and food insecurity. Thirty four Soul Center volunteers helped make it happen. We’ll do it again next year. Serving in this way feels so good.
In July 2023, we created Breakfast Bundles for Nourish NC.
We collected donations, then created Breakfast Bundles to help feed local food insecure children – juice boxes, oatmeal packs, grits and cereal. It was a really great project; we really knocked it out of the park! Thanks to all who donated and stayed to put the bundles together.
In June 2023, we helped Lower Cape Fear YWCA’s New Choices Economic Empowerment Program.
Many thanks to all who participated in our June 2023 Service Project that focused on the YWCA’s New Choices Economic Empowerment Program. We collected four big boxes of period care items for women, and we collected $234 in cash for them to purchase other things they need. We are so grateful for this opportunity to help.
Wilmington’s new Day Center for those experiencing homelessness is close to our hearts.
In May of 2023, the street ministry called Living Hope welcomed about fifty people a day into the comfort and safety of a new Day Center. Our contribution of $645 helped them purchase supplies including oatmeal packets, lemonade, coffee, trash bags and other items they use every day. We are grateful for those who do this work.
Our April 2023 Service Project focused on childhood literacy.
Thanks to everyone who brought books for our April 2023 Service Project in support of Smart Start of New Hanover County. Promoting early literacy is one of their core focus areas, and providing free, age-appropriate books for young children to read with their families is key. We helped with that. It is a privilege to serve these beautiful little ones in this way.
In March 2023, we assembled bag lunches for St. Jude’s homeless clients.
Big thanks to everyone who participated in our March 2023 Service Project Let’s Do Lunch. This is something we did last year, and we enjoyed it so much, we decided to do it again – to provide lunches for St. Jude’s Homeless Clients. We collected a great assortment of snacks and desserts, and our amazing Soul Center crew made sandwiches, then bagged up the lunches for distribution. It was a project filled with love and joy, a great day for Spiritual Soul Center.