By Monica Holmes
Co-Editor-In-Chief

Imagine sleeping outside in the cold, brisk nights of winter and enjoying no holiday meal on Christmas Eve. Without Room in the Inn and Ruthie’s Kitchen these occurrences would become a reality for many Dare County residents.

Room in the Inn was brought to the Outer Banks in 2009 when co-founder Claiborne Yarbrough questioned whether or not there were homeless people living in the community. Yarbrough previously worked with Room in the Inn in Charlotte, N.C. and co-founder Gail Leonard was involved with other programs for the homeless in Montgomery County, M.D. When they received no definite answer on the number of homeless people in Dare County, they made an agreement with their church, St. Andrews, to begin hosting homeless guests. During the first season, six other churches agreed to open their doors and provide hospitality, food and shelter for 17 guests, according to Leonard. This year, 14 churches are involved with Room in the Inn and provide shelter over a 22 week period from mid-November to mid-April.

“One of the main tenets of Jesus’ ministry is to serve, that the poor will always be with us.  By cultivating an attitude of gratitude, one cannot help but reach out to those needing help,” Leonard said. “The more our community can reach out to help those who struggle to have a home to go to and food to eat, the stronger our community will be.”

Many of the homeless guests would rather spend time in a home of their own, but during this time of the year, minimum wage jobs and high rent do not easily coincide for many residents of Dare County, according to Leonard.

“We really need more affordable housing in this area,” Leonard said. “It is sad to see all these empty, beautiful rental homes waiting for the tourist season to open up, while shelterless people in our community are sleeping in dumpsters and porta-potties.”

Every year, Duck United Methodist (DUMC) shelters the homeless for a week. During that week, members of the church and youth, including senior Ashley Beardsley, provide dinners while coming together to serve and get to know the homeless.

“It’s important to help the homeless because they are still people in our community, no one any less and we all deserve kindness and help,” Beardsley said. “It truly is an amazing opportunity because you are helping others in your community but also just gathering together and getting to know one another.

Junior Casey Buchanan, fellow member of DUMC, believes it’s important to give back to community members in need, whether through transportation, a warm meal or a place to stay in the cold months of winter.

“I’m sure that if we were in need we would want for someone to help us out,” Buchanan said. “It’s just a nice gesture, while making yourself feel good in the end.”

High school students are often overwhelmed with homework and extracurricular activities, but many students at FFHS take time out of their busy schedules to interact and assist members of the community. Senior Stephen Peters’ experience while serving dinner to the homeless at Liberty Church last year far exceeded his original expectations.

“I thought we were going to serve dinner then leave, but instead of leaving we sat down with them and talked and played cards,” Peters said. “But what stuck with me the most was when a man grabbed me by the shoulder and said ‘we might be without a house but here we feel like we have a family’.”

Ruthie’s Community Kitchen was formed after the late Ruthie Rigor made the request to St. Andrews with a $3,000 donation. Although St. Andrews already did monthly suppers for the community, the donation paved the way for other churches to come together and set up a community kitchen. Leonard and members of her church decided to ask His Dream Center in Nags Head for rental space to hold the weekly suppers in a more all-inclusive and central location. Every Tuesday night, many organizations including 17 churches, Links Ladies, Rotary Clubs, Eagle Clubs, book and sorority clubs participate in preparing a meal for 50 to 60 people.

Leonard explains the importance of community members coming together to support both Room in the Inn and Ruthie’s Kitchen.

“Support from the community is key to the success of both organizations,” Leonard said. “If we didn’t have the volunteer and financial support, neither organization could continue.”

Leonard believes that many people may not be aware of the homeless and hungry that live in our community.

“By volunteering in organizations that are helping struggling people, awareness is heightened,” Leonard said. “It is easy to become somewhat self absorbed until you have a chance to see the struggles many are dealing with.”

Send comments to holmesmo0626@daretolearn.org