Making a Difference that Improves Lives
The mission of Habitat Wake is to build safe, affordable housing in partnership with hardworking, low-income families. The need for affordable housing is a major concern across the country and throughout the world. The statistics are staggering:
- In North Carolina 44% of renter households have housing problems (Having to pay more than 30% of income towards housing, having inadequate kitchen or plumbing facilities, or having an overcrowding living situation.)
- More than 88,000 Wake county residents live in poverty.
- At minimum wage, a worker in Wake County would have to work 2.3 full-time jobs to afford the average rent.
Affordable housing is one of the most pressing issues in our community. Habitat Wake’s response is to provide opportunities of homeownership to hardworking, low-income families. Habitat Wake will build 42 new homes or rehabs and complete 45 exterior repair projects throught A Brush With Kindness and provide funding for 50 new homes in Honduras and other countries. We believe that everyone deserves a decent place to live.
Housing however, is not the only issue that many of our residents face. Food insecurity or hunger is a situation of limited or uncertain availability of adequate and safe foods for a family or individual. No child or family should go hungry. Unfortunately, the facts are daughting:
- In North Carolina, 1 in 5 people struggle with hunger. NC has one of the hightest rates of hunger in the US.
- 36% of food pantries in NC have had to turn people away for lack of available food to give them.
- 81% of NC households receiving food assistance do not know where their next meal will come from.
- 75% of NC households served by food banks have had to choose between buying food and heating their living space.
- 61% of NC households served by food banks have been forced to choose between paying for food or paying for housing.
- Applications for Wake County Food and Nutrition Services continue to increase each year, and has doubled since 2007
Donate non-perishable Food items at Wake ReStores
Let's help make this holiday season a little bit brighter for those in need. From now until December 19th, you can drop off non-perishable food items at our ReStores in Raleigh, Cary, Apex, or Fuquay Varina. We will distribute to a local food bank (local to the individual store location within Wake County) and hopefully make a difference to others during this holiday season.
Donation bins will be located at the front of each of the ReStores. We will keep you updated on the donations with a wrap up of results after the holiday.
Additional ways to Help Stop Hunger in Your Community
- Get Your Community Involved. Organize a food drive with your church, neighborhood or partner with a local community organization and host a food drive of your own.
- Host a Virtual Food Drive. Plan a virtual food drive with measurable goals online using the Feeding America Personal Fundraiser tool and promote participation in your community.
- Volunteer at Your Local Food Bank. A great way to help end hunger is by donating your time to your local food bank. It could involve organizing food at the food bank or even serving up meals at the local soup kitchen.
- Give a Gift Basket Filled with Food to a Family in Need. Deliver a basket of food and other goodies to a family in need. Consider including pasta, rice, canned vegetables and fruits, soups and brownie mixes that are easy to prepare.
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