OUTREACH

Today, Family Promise® operates out of a 3,500 square foot home located at 400 Saunders Boulevard in Aberdeen, NC. The home has five bedrooms and 6-1/2 bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, play room, den, laundry, and a fenced in playground. It also has on-site parking, office space for staff, and a view of a small lake.

Despite having their own facility since 2016, volunteers still play an essential role in supporting their mission of providing shelter, meals, and opportunities to help families experiencing homelessness or financial insecurity achieve sustainable independence through a community-based response.

“Volunteers are critical to the mission of Family Promise,” stated Peggy Hendrix, executive director of Family Promise®. “Through your work, families can see care and feel compassion at the point that they are at their lowest.”  

Residents of the home are families that are experiencing homelessness. The home can accommodate up to four families at one time. Each family has their own private bedroom and bathroom. Families are typically in residence 60 to 90 days while the mothers complete the program. Family Promise® works with each parent to develop a case management plan and advocates for the services and assistance each family needs to regain their self-sufficiency. Parents may receive both parenting and financial education classes while in the program. In 2025, Family Promise provided shelter for 14 families, including 32 children.

For more information about Family Promise® of Moore County’s mission and impact, visit their website at https://fpofmc.org/ and watch their video at https://f.io/2SUoONZS.

Every 10 to 11 weeks, Emmanuel and the Sandhills Jewish Congregation partner to perform a variety of volunteer duties. Some volunteers fix and deliver evening meals for the families, while others spend the night at the home to ensure the comfort and safety of all.

Below is more information on each volunteer opportunity including role, time, and monetary commitment, skills or abilities required, and other vital information in order for those looking for volunteer opportunities to determine if one or more of these volunteer roles is right for them.

EVENING MEAL VOLUNTEERS

Up to four volunteers are needed to take one day each to provide an evening meal for families Monday thru Thursday. The volunteer either prepares the meal at their home or picks up food from a local restaurant and delivers the meal by 5 p.m. the evening they have signed up for.

“I have had mothers say to me how much it meant to have a meal already prepared when they returned from work to the shelter,” said Hendrix. “It helps our families to stretch their SNAP benefits and brings calmness and peace to a school night evening, especially when you imagine that four families would be trying to prepare dinner at the about the same time.” 

Once the volunteer arrives, a staff member will admit them into the home to deliver the meal to the kitchen. In the past, meal volunteers were invited to stay and have the meal with the residents. However, today, with residents working flexible shifts, it is harder for all the families to be available at a set time to eat together.

The meals should be simple. This is not the time to show off your fancy, gourmet cooking skills. Simple fare is preferred, such as burgers, tacos, spaghetti, baked or fried chicken, chicken nuggets, pizza, etc. Breakfast for dinner is also a hit. Who doesn’t love pancakes and bacon any time of day?! No casseroles or frozen dishes either.

Don’t get creative with side dishes. Sides, such as a vegetables and starches, should also be simple. Stick to dishes such as green beans, corn, or peas, and don’t mix them together.

For salads, think buffet-style. Don’t mix all the fixings in one large bowl. Kids can be picky eaters. Provide everything separately so that the little ones can create their own salad masterpieces with the vegetables and toppings they like best.

For dessert, keep it basic. Ice cream, cupcakes, cookies, and fresh, whole fruit are favorites. Chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry ice cream; chocolate or vanilla cupcakes; chocolate chip, sugar, or Oreo cookies are always a hit; and apples, oranges, and grapes are appreciated.

When possible, deliver everything in disposable containers as it is hard for the small staff at Family Promise® to keep track of and ensure all containers and their corresponding lids are kept together and returned together. If you have to leave something – such as a slow cooker – behind, be sure that it is labeled with your name and that you are able to return during regular operating hours within the next day or two to pick it up.

Serving utensils aren’t necessary as the kitchen is fully stocked with dinnerware and utensils. Condiments aren’t necessary as the kitchen has all the basics from ketchup and mustard and to a variety of salad dressings. However, if your dish does require something out of the ordinary, provide it.

How much does a meal cost? That will depend on the number of residents in house at the time. Typically, a meal for all the residents should easily be made under $40. The lead coordinator for that week will provide volunteers with the number of adults and children in the home at that time, as well as any food allergies anyone in the home has.

OVERNIGHT VOLUNTEERS

This might sound scary at first, but it isn’t. Truly. Still don’t believe it? Ask fellow parishioners Monika Brown or Stephanie Hillard about it. They have been volunteering with Family Promise® of Moore County for decades.

“For our overnight volunteers, you may not even see the families, as many families retire to their rooms early to prepare for school and work the next day,” shared Hendrix. “But if you do, we have had many moms say how nice it was to just have someone to ask if they had a good day. It is through grace that seeds are planted and our volunteers are the leaders in planting those seeds.”

Overnight volunteers must be female. If you aren’t comfortable volunteering overnight alone, a female volunteer may have another female volunteer partner with her. A female volunteer with her male spouse may also volunteer, but the female volunteer must be in residence the entire time their male spouse is present in the home. This is for the comfort of the Family Promise® residents.

The overnight volunteer duties are simple, but important. Overnight volunteers must arrive by 8 p.m. the evening of their shift and are expected to remain until 7 a.m. the following morning. If a volunteer needs to leave earlier, requests can be accommodated.

Overnight volunteers are provided a private guest room. The guest room has two twin beds, a mini-refrigerator, a private, ensuite bathroom, a Keurig coffee maker, wi-fi, and all the linen and towels needed. Volunteers have to make their own bed in the evening and strip it in the morning, but do not have to do laundry.

It is recommended that volunteers bring chargers for their portable devices. There is no TV in the room, so volunteers may want to bring a book or a tablet with a few shows or movies downloaded on it, as everyone is expected to be in their rooms by 10 p.m. each evening. Headphone or earbuds are recommended if you are listening to anything in your room in order not to disturb other residents.

Overnight volunteers are also provided with a code to the front door, a code to their private guest room, and the code for the whole-house security system.

Each evening at 10 p.m. the evening volunteer is expected to check to ensure all exterior doors are closed and locked before setting the whole-house alarm system. The panel is located conveniently in the volunteer’s guest room. The only hard part comes in the morning. The volunteer must disable the alarm at 4 a.m. as one of the current residents has an early morning job.

That’s it. Ensure the doors are closed, set the alarm at 10 p.m., and turn off the alarm at 4 a.m.

There is a binder in the volunteer’s room that covers all the instructions on setting and disabling the alarm, what to do if the alarm won’t set (likely because a window is open somewhere), and what to do if the alarm goes off during the night (which has only happened once due to a sick child).

The binder also contains some other important information, such as:

·      No pets are allowed the house or on the property.

·      No smoking is permitted in the house. Smoking is permitted in a designated outdoor area only.

·      No food is allowed in the bedrooms.

·      Absolutely no alcohol or drugs are allowed on the property.

These rules apply to volunteers, too.

It is important to note that the house is split-level. Overnight volunteers will have to be able to navigate stairs to check all the exterior doors and to access the guest bedroom. Volunteers should never enter a resident’s room. If the alarm system indicates a window in a resident’s room is open, which will cause the alarm not to engage, the volunteer is only expected to knock on the door and ask the resident to close the window. Each resident’s room has its own password protected door lock, for their privacy and safety.

Overnight guests should also wear family-friendly pajamas or nightgown, just in case they are required to respond to an alarm during the night.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

A week or two prior to Emmanuel’s designated volunteer week, Emmanuel’s lead coordinator Monika Brown, will post a notice in the church’s newsletter about upcoming volunteer opportunities, as well as send out an email to previously identified volunteers. She will provide all volunteers with dates and shifts available, as well as a demographic overview of the current residents.

Emmanuel’s next volunteer week is Aug. 10 – 13. If you are interested in volunteering or want to learn more, contact Monika Brown at (910) 703-0087 or monikacbrown@gmail.com, or Zona Lewis at (301) 848-5811 or zona.t.lewis@outlook.com.

A tour of the home can also be provided for potential overnight volunteers prior to signing up.