Recently, Jeanine C. Skane, Executive Director of the Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry, contacted us about our evening restaurant rental.

WARM (http://www.warmnc.org/) needed a location to hold a meet and greet and wanted to enjoy our fabulous handmade cheesecake while doing so!  We were happy to oblige.

We first learned about WARM from a regular customer of ours, Ron.  But what is WARM you ask?  I took the following from their website mentioned above:

The purpose of the Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry, Inc. (WARM, Inc.) is to assist people living in substandard housing, including elderly and disabled. By upgrading their housing, we hope to alleviate some of their problems and create a safe and healthy environment for them. WARM works with individuals, organizations, and businesses in Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, and Pender Counties.

Every year, WARM, Inc. organizes over 500 local and out-of-town volunteers to complete vital repairs for an average of 40-50 very low income homeowners, whose income falls 50% below the median for their county. In many cases, we help the residents stay in their homes. The average cost of repairs is $2000 per home. Over 80% of our homeowners are elderly widows and over 30% are disabled.

Founded in 1996 by the Wilmington District United Methodist Church, WARM, Inc. is a local, grassroots movement built on the Christian values of service, compassion, and unity. Service not only impacts the homeowner in need, but enriches the lives of those serving. Compassion motivates our volunteers and other supporters to engage in the life-changing work that WARM carries out. Unity in that all people of compassion are invited to join us in this mission and all very low income homeowners are invited to apply, regardless of personal creed, ethnicity, or background.

WARM, Inc. provides meaningful work that changes lives in a setting that encourages group unity, spiritual enrichment, and a sense of satisfaction that comes only from helping others.

This was a great group of people and if you are looking for a local grassroots movement to be involved in, try this one!

* You can find @CosmicKitchen and WARM’s Executive Director @JCSkane on Twitter.