About:

 

Prior to becoming the nonprofit it is today, the Urban Ministry began in a church basement. By 1967, a group of congregations in downtown Greensboro decided they should work more effectively to serve the residents of the city. Eventually, they formed an emergency assistance program, helping those that could not afford their rent and utilities.

 

“Over the years, Urban Ministry has grown in response to community needs,” said Lane Brown, the director of development and communications at the Urban Ministry.

 

Over several years, new programs were phased in, including Potter’s House Community Kitchen, Weaver House, Pathway Center for families, Partnership Village and the main location’s food pantry.

 

After opening Weaver House, a night shelter for 100 men and women, in 1982, the Urban Ministry opened Potter’s House community kitchen to work in tandem with the shelter. Every day the community kitchen serves breakfast and dinner for people staying at Weaver House, while lunch is prepared for anyone. On average, 400 people receive lunch every day.

 

Between December and March, Weaver House opens Weaver extension units through partnerships with other congregations.

 

The main site’s food pantry offers grocery supplies up to four times a year for a single household. However, families chose which four times they need food assistance during the year. A minimum of 100 households receive groceries per day, while sometimes that number reaches 150 families.

 

Besides the main location, the Urban Ministry also offers services off-site, such as the Pathway Center, a night shelter for 16 families with children. Unlike Weaver House, Pathway Center allows families to stay in a studio apartment. Rental subsidies and supportive services are offered to 68 housing units at Partnership Village apartment complex, a transitional housing community.

 

“We have a lot of people in our community who are living on the margins and who are not able to take advantage of the prosperity that our economy might be offering other people,” Brown said. “If we were not here I believe a lot of people would be hurting.”

 

Brown also thinks it is important to remind community members that “we are ranked in the top 10 nationally for food insecurity,” and “[in Greensboro] there are 570 men and women who are homeless on any given night.”

 

Providing care for so many Greensboro community members is possible by the support and partnership of nearly 50 different agencies, many of which are also congregational.

 

Though the Urban Ministry is in partnership with many congregations, they do not push faith-based ideals. “We really strive to be welcoming of people of all faiths,” Brown said.

 

The organization thinks of themselves as grassroots, considering a total of 97 percent of the Urban Ministry’s funding is garnered through fundraising. Raising this money is possible through three annual events: CROP Hunger Walk, Feast of Caring and Serving Greensboro Together.

 

Every year the Urban Ministry works with Church World Service to plan and host CROP Hunger Walk, which supports Potter’s House community kitchen.

 

The Feast of Caring occurs every year on the Thursday before Thanksgiving. It is a simple dinner with light food options, reminding people to be grateful.

 

Serving Greensboro Together takes place in May every year. During this fundraiser, over 100 restaurants give 10 percent of the selected day’s receipts to the Urban Ministry.

 

The “rich mix” of work provided by the Urban Ministry allows them to respond to various needs. “We’ve got a lot of tools in our toolbox, so to speak,” Brown said. “One of our strengths is that we are able to do a lot of different things.”

 

She also added that much of the work is completed by over 1,900 yearly volunteers. For anyone that wants to get involved with the Urban Ministry, visit their volunteer page to get started.