Wilmington’s Department of Parks and Recreation partnered with Friendship House to shelter and feed the unhoused community through the winter storm.
Wilmington Parks and Recreation Director Melody Phillips invited anyone without shelter to the William “Hicks” Anderson Community Center, which will be open as a shelter through the early afternoon Tuesday.
“Although we are a shelter and individuals can spend the night, they don't have to if they don't want to,” Phillips said. “We don't want them outside. But if they're like, ‘I just need some shelter for the day and they have somewhere else to sleep, not outside, they could definitely come in and just receive a meal for the day.”
The community center has staff working around the clock to help folks seeking shelter, including free hygiene products and snack bags.
The team opened the shelter at 6 p.m. Sunday and provided dinner then and three meals Monday. Tuesday, they’ll offer breakfast before closing down.
It’s the second time the city activated the community center as a shelter this year. The first time was at the end of January, when the team took in about 150 people.
This time around, the center took in just under 80 people who were previously taking shelter at the The Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew.
“The biggest challenge is making sure that we stretch those donations to the best of our ability, based on whether or not there's going to be 79 people like there are now or if more people will come in,” Phillips said. “Because once it's a shelter, individuals, even though they may not come yesterday, they still could come today.”
Phillips said the team, which includes Parks and Rec and Friendship House staff, immediately signed on for shifts when the community center activated as a shelter.
Attendees will have meals through breakfast before shutting down Tuesday afternoon. Some residents will receive hotel vouchers from the DHSS.
