Rescue Mission of Cape Fear

What is the core mission of your organization? To provide hope to the hurting by offering the light of Christ, healing, and life transformation.

How do you measure impact and success in your programs? We measure impact through resident completion rates, stable housing and employment outcomes, spiritual growth, and long-term independence. We also track participation, case management goals, and personal transformation stories that reflect lasting change.

What are your biggest fundraising or outreach challenges? Our biggest challenges are increasing community awareness, expanding our donor base, and maintaining consistent financial support in a competitive nonprofit environment. We must continually tell our story in meaningful ways while balancing limited staff, resources, and growing needs.

How do you build long-term relationships with donors and supporters? We build long-term relationships through transparency, gratitude, and consistent communication. We share real stories of impact, invite supporters into our mission, steward gifts responsibly, and create opportunities for engagement so donors feel valued, connected, and part of the life-change they help make.

What trends are influencing the nonprofit world today? Nonprofits are being shaped by increased demand for transparency, digital storytelling, donor engagement through social media, data-driven impact reporting, and community partnerships. There is also a growing focus on sustainability, collaboration, and addressing whole-person needs rather than single services.

Can you share a story that shows your mission in action? One day, our thrift store received a donation that included an urn with human ashes inside. Believing it had been given by mistake, we contacted the funeral home listed on the bottom, hoping to reunite the remains with the family. While waiting for a response, we discovered a second set of ashes — the wife of the same man.

Not long after, we received a call from a daughter who was overwhelmed with emotion. She explained that her parents’ belongings — including their remains — had been placed in a storage unit by a family member and lost due to nonpayment. For years, she had been praying to find them. She told us, “God answered my prayers today.”

That moment reminded us that our mission is not only about housing and recovery — it is about dignity, compassion, and honoring every life. We were able to reunite this family with their loved ones’ remains, bringing closure and healing to a painful chapter.

This is our mission in action: caring for people in ways both seen and unseen, reminding them that they matter, and showing that God is still working through compassion, faith, and obedience.

What keeps you motivated in this work? What keeps me motivated is seeing lives change — watching someone who once felt invisible begin to believe they matter again. Every story of restoration, every step toward healing, and every moment of hope reminds me that this work is sacred. God’s faithfulness and the resilience of the people we serve continue to inspire me to keep going, even on the hard days.