Sudden surge in need empties Open Door Ministries' pockets

Guy Lucas, The High Point Enterprise, N.C.
·2 min read

Dec. 21—HIGH POINT — The unemployment rate remains low, inflation has cooled off to 3.1% and the stock market is hitting record highs lately, but more people than ever before have been coming to Open Door Ministries for help.

The number of hot meals served normally had been about 3,500 a month, but in November it shot up to more than 10,000, Executive Director Ryan Ross said. The number of people coming to the food pantry would normally be 75 to 125 a month, but in November it was 522.

"It ticked up gradually up to last month, and last month it just took off," Ross said.

Open Door's two shelters also are filled to capacity at the moment.

Whatever is driving the sudden need, the problem is that Open Door's monetary donations to support its daily operations have not taken off, and costs are running far ahead of donations right now, Director of Advancement Ivan Huffman said.

"The past six months have been the busiest this organization has ever been in 35 years," he said.

Because Open Door has been in the news several times the past couple of years because of government allocations that will allow the organization to build a homeless day shelter in High Point meant to transform the lives and future of people living on the street, some people have the idea that Open Door has plenty of money available, Operations Director Orel Henry said.

But all of the money that has been in the news is for construction costs only. The organization can't touch that money to pay its staff of 32, cover its electricity and water bills or pay technicians to repair its walk-in coolers or anything that goes wrong with the 30-year-old building, Henry said. Those are things that many of those who donate don't think about.

"People only see 'operations' when things don't work," he said. "We're open 365 — seven days a week."

Ross agreed.

"We never close," he said, "So there's always going to be someone here working."

Want to help? To make a monetary donation, go online to opendoorministrieshp.org and click on the big DONATE button at the upper right corner.