WHQR News Reporter Kelly Kenoyer interviewed Meg McBride about the shelter's needs ahead of its second run of the 2024/2025 season.
Kelly Kenoyer: I'm here with Meg McBride, the director of the Warming Shelter ILM. Thank you so much for joining us.
Meg McBride: Thanks for having me.
KK: So the warming shelter is set to open for three nights, starting Saturday. Can I just have you remind folks what the warming shelter is?
MM: Sure. The Warming Shelter is a response to extreme cold temperatures. We open a temporary overnight shelter for anyone experiencing homelessness any time the temperatures are set to drop below 30 degrees on consecutive nights. And we do that at Grace United Methodist Church at 401 Grace Street, and we welcome anyone in need of shelter and warmth.
KK: You had a very long run right at the start of December: Did that put a strain on your very limited resources organization?
MM: So we didn't expect to open so early. This was the earliest we've ever opened, December 1, and we did six nights during that first run. We had a lot of volunteers and a lot of help. It did put a financial strain on our organization because we had to purchase some food and some supplies that we had not yet gathered for the season.
But other than that, well, let's just say we always need money. I'm just gonna be real frank about that. We always need money.
KK: Are there challenges that you have as an organization that's entirely volunteer-run?
MM: One of the things we're starting to see is that the Warming Shelter is not just the one thing that we do. We're actually a year-round initiative that also has a mobile shower trailer unit that goes throughout the city throughout the week, giving free hot showers to folks in need. We are partners in the Living Hope Downtown Day Center, which is a drop-in center for anyone on the street to come off the street and have some rest.
We also support the Anchor United Methodist Church that does a Sunday breakfast down on the riverfront for people experiencing homelessness. And so because we have these ongoing initiatives, and we want to be involved in the conversation around how to help the problem of homelessness in Wilmington through our local Continuum of Care, we are finding that we need to have staff that is actually getting paid to organize and be a part of all these initiatives and the wider conversation about homelessness in our city.
Related: The Newsroom interview with Pastor Jamie Thompson: “Poverty is a sin. Being poor is not.” A new reporting project on being homeless in the Cape Fear Region.
Read More: “Try to stay positive.” The lives of our homeless neighbors in downtown Wilmington.
KK: That seems like a really big step. Do you know what that might look like once you're able to bring staff on?
MM: So right now, we would like to bring on the two pastors that are already organizing it, which would be myself and Reverend Jamie Thompson from Grace. We've already been doing this work, we just haven't been doing it officially in the capacity of the Warming Shelter. We've been doing it in our role as pastors of churches, United Methodist churches, which is starting to just stretch us really thin, where we can spend our time and energy.
And so the warming shelter continues to be an important initiative that we actually would like to kind of officially put time and energy towards. And so that's why we're trying to build some capacity within the warming shelter organization.
KK: What do you need from local institutions moving forward, to grow like you want this organization to grow?
MM: Yeah, it's always come down to financial. We tend to be really good about soliciting donations, and I can't say enough about the generosity of the Wilmington community to come forward with items that we need, but now it's at the point where we really want to make the Warming Shelter an official, year-round recognized institution, right, rather than just this pop up that comes up and down during the cold weather. And to do that, we need funding for people to work this program.
KK: How can local residents help your efforts as we're looking at three consecutive nights coming up right ahead of the holiday?
MM: I will say that we've already gotten a great response for the volunteer opportunities within the shelter, and I'm really grateful for that. But again, it comes down to, I'm gonna say it again, right? Financial support.
And we're just, again, It's amazing. If you've never volunteered at the shelter, it's seeing it is believing it: to stop on down and see what happens in that gymnasium. It's incredible. And so I love having folks from the community come and support an effort and volunteer in the shelter. We're making great friends and expanding our network, and that's been wonderful.
KK: I've been speaking with Meg McBride, pastor at Hope Recovery United Methodist Church, and the director of the Warming Shelter ILM. Thank you so much for joining us.
MM: Thank you.
