As families and friends gather for seasonal celebrations, it’s easy to forget that for a small percentage of the population there may not be a warm bed, a hot meal, or cheerful welcome.

While the need for community services is year-round, it’s at this time of year, as we gather with our nearest and dearest, that many of those on the edges of society and those who are in the greatest need face their biggest challenges:

• Keeping a roof over their heads.
• Getting enough to eat.
• Paying their utilities.
• Affording groceries.
• Finding work.
• Avoiding addiction.
• Getting counseling.
• Applying for benefits.
• Fleeing abuse.

In Wilmington, DE homelessness, hunger, and poverty continue to challenge the fabric of our community — affecting children, seniors, and families alike day in, day out. At The Ministry of Caring, we’re driven by a belief that regardless of anyone’s background, history, or circumstances every person deserves to be treated with dignity, respect, kindness and compassion.

We began our services in 1977 with the opening of Mary Mother of Hope House, the first shelter for homeless women in our region. Since then, our reach has grown to 18 programs that provide shelter, meals, housing, child care, job placement and dental care.

Our commitment to those in need is reflected in real numbers. In 2024 alone, we served more than 151,000 meals through our Emmanuel Dining Room and provided emergency shelter for 937 individuals.

Our stable, secure housing programs support families, seniors, and people living with disabilities including HIV-AIDS. Each day, our childcare and employment programs empower individuals to rebuild their confidence and boost their skills, supporting their long-term transformation and a move toward a brighter, more secure tomorrow.

Although we benefit from a range of private, state, and federal grant aid, a large proportion of every service we provide is made possible through the generous support of kind, loving, caring people like you—supporters who care that their less well-off neighbors have enough; supporters who share one, overarching vision: of significantly reducing and of working towards eradicating poverty in the region and nurturing a welcoming, supportive community where everyone can thrive.

The stories of resilience that unfold within our shelters, dining rooms, and homes inspire us daily to do more to anchor our resolve to stand with and to support our neighbors.

We see a future where everyone has a place to call home and where those same people have the resources they need to thrive and prosper. We invite you to walk alongside us in creating lasting change, and in building meaningful ways to strengthen our community and extend the promise of hope to those who need it most.

We do this not because it is easy, but because it is the right thing to do. And because the poor should never be treated poorly.

We ask to join us by giving as generously as you can as we champion the right of everyone in need to find a welcoming Home for the Holidays.

To support us through an online donation in any amount, CLICK HERE.