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Food, Shelter, Future

Urban Ministries of Durham connects with the community to end homelessness and fight poverty by offering food, shelter and a future to neighbors in need. 

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SHelter

Emergency shelter for men, women, and families housing-focused case management + workforce development
FREE SHELTER
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community CAFÉ

3 free meals per day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year
FREE FOOD
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FOOD PANTRY & CLOTHING CLOSET

Groceries and clothing for low-resource households and shelter residents
FREE GOODS

About Us

UMD welcomes all neighbors regardless of race, ethnicity, religious beliefs or non-faith, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.

Our Yearly Impact

4,000 Volunteers

6,000 People served

800 people sheltered

250,000 meals provided

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HOUSING ALL STARTS SMALL

If every person in Durham donates just $15.76, we can house all those affected by homelessness in the city for an entire year
Donate today
Young woman hugging man while holding house keys
Spent Logo
Can you make it through the month without getting spent? Play the online game by McKinney. It’s easier to become homeless than you might think.

"I’m from Durham and used have played the “Spent” game many times for school, etc. Now I live in Oregon and we are playing it at an all staff in Child Welfare. Thank you for this tool and for the impact it has made across the country."

Play Spent
Screen capture of Spent game that says, "You're running out of money fast. It's time to get a job - any job. Here's what's available. Choose One. The first job says "2nd Shift"

Follow Us On Social

As a new week begins, we hold tight to the power of hope. We see hope every day in the resilience of those we serve, in the compassion of our volunteers and donors, and in the unwavering support of our community.
 #HopeInAction #TogetherWeCan
Thank you Nora for the fresh produce for our #neighborsinneed
Special thank you to our volunteers from Carolina Preserve, Delta Sigma Theta Durham Alumnae Chapter and NC A&T Alumni Chapter. We appreciate you all showing up bright and early to assist with meal prep and serving a hot breakfast to community members. 

If you’re interested in volunteering or donating please send us a message🧡
We need your help restocking the bookshelf in our UMD Community Cafe! We welcome new or gently used book donations to keep our community members engaged and inspired. Drop by our office Monday–Friday and place your donated books on the shelf. #DonationsNeeded #Community 📚🧡
Our UMD staff left the North Carolina Bringing It Home Conference all smiles and even more equipped with strategies and resources to elevate our mission. Way to go team!  #Community #UMDCares
Special thank you to our dedicated UMD Volunteers!! Last week, we celebrated their generosity with lunch, custom bouquets, prize giveaways, and lots of smiles! We’re so grateful for each of them🧡 #Community #VolunteerAppreciation #UMD
Flashback to last Friday’s Auction Gala! Every year we strive to raise the bar to further our mission and with this year’s support we did just that. Special thank you again to our guest speakers, staff and partners for making this occasion special! Here’s to many more years of providing food, shelter and a future serving Durham together🧡 #Community #UMDCares

Photos: @nsmediagroup
Our UMD staff sowing seeds of hope as we embrace spring! Check out the new landscaping at the shelter. Way to go team!!🧡
Our UMD team showed up strong with 11 walkers and raised $850 (so close to our $1,000 goal!) at The Durham Crop Walk @durhamcropwalk! 

Huge thank you to everyone who supported and joined us🧡

#WalkForACause #UMDStrong #CommunityImpact
Thank you to Durham Crop Walk for a beautiful day supporting UMD! #Community #CropWalk 🧡 @durhamcropwalk
Throwback to our 2024 UMD Gala where we celebrated community and raised funds for our continued quest to provide food, shelter and a future! Register today for this year’s celebration by emailing sfilter@umdurham.org. #Community #UMDCares 🧡
We had an amazing time at the 2025 Positive Childhood Alliance Learning & Leadership Summit yesterday! Special thank you to @positivechildhoodalliancenc for creating space for us to connect with fellow advocates and share the work UMD is doing to support children and families in Durham.🧡
Huge thank you to Goodwill Industries for touring UMD today and donating several Food Lion gift cards to support our families. Your kindness makes a difference! @goodwillintl #FoodLion #Goodwill #communitypartners 🧡
Taking care of our community, one smile at a time! We’re so thankful for the @baptistsonmission dental bus for being onsite at UMD offering free dental services to our clients! We appreciate your service.🧡🦷 #Thankful #BaptistsonMission #DentalCare #UMD
Empty shelves are a powerful reminder of the impact our community partners make. Thanks to the generosity of Diaper Bank of North Carolina and supporters like Mya, last week’s pick-up filled an entire van—ensuring that we can continue serving the families that need us most. @nc_diaperbank 

We are deeply grateful for their partnership🧡#Community #DiaperBank #UMDCares
A big thank you to the Grifols team for volunteering their time and sorting donations with us at UMD! We appreciate you all @grifolsplasma_us 🧡 #Community
Special thank you to @dukechapel for inviting UMD to speak and donating to our mission. We appreciate the opportunity and your continued generosity!🧡 #DukeChapel #Community #UrbanMinistriesDurham
Join us for an unforgettable evening at the Urban Ministries of Durham Auction Gala April 11, 2025 at 6 PM at The Washington Duke Inn! 

Be a part of the change by purchasing tickets, sponsoring a table, or donate auction items to help provide food, shelter, and hope to those in need.

Scan the QR code to get involved or email sfilter@umdurham.org for sponsorship opportunities.

#UMDGala #MakeADifference🧡
This week, we had the pleasure of meeting Wynter!!A dedicated UMD volunteer with The United Outreach Ministries dinner group. With the help of her grandmother and great-great-aunt, she hand mixed, baked, and frosted over 225 cupcakes for everyone to enjoy. Way to lead and serve by example! #Community #CommunityHeroes #UMDCares 🧡

Get The Latest News

We're here to help our neighbors. Join us for our monthly drive-thru/walk-up parking lot food giveaway. We distribute fresh, frozen, and shelf-stable food at no cost. 📆 When- Tomorrow, November 4th 📍 Where- St. Philip's Episcopal Church, Durham, NC parking lot ⏰ Time- 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Open to all in need of support❤️ Please like, share, and spread the word. #neighborshelpingneighbors #CommunityRelief

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It's #WishlistWednesday, and our focus is food security. Families in our community are facing food insecurity as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits are set to expire. 32,529 residents of Durham County rely on SNAP. You can help by donating shelf-stable food items or hosting a drive. Please like & share this post! 📍 Donations can be dropped off at 410 Liberty Street, Durham, NC. Monday-Friday 9:30a-5:30p or Friday 930a-1:30p Let's come together to make sure no family goes hungry❤️ #SNAPSupport

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Bob's Discount Furniture presented a $2,500 Random Acts of Kindness donation to Urban Ministries of Durham representing their commitment to supporting the community. Sheldon Mitchell, Executive Director (center) accepted the donation from Maurice McKisset, Manager (center, right) and Adam Abbassi, Divisional Vice President (center, left). Also pictured, Rich Sniffen, Assistant Manager, Malik Brooks, Assistant Manager, and Sirayia Martin, Sales Supervisor.

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We hope you will join us for our #holiday luncheon to learn more about UMD's life-saving work on Wed. Dec. 10 at the Durham Convention Center. To sponsor a table and register click: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/2025holidayluncheon/

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❤️Help us help our neighbors❤️ We're on a mission to support our neighbors experiencing homelessness and/or struggling financially. We've put together an #amazonwishlist full of essential items that will be distributed directly to Durham community members. Click here to view and support: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/KK0ARI5CQNY1?ref_=wl_share Whether you purchase items or share this post with others, you're helping us bring dignity, comfort, and care to those who need it most.

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It's #WishlistWednesday and we're taking a short pause this week to prepare our Amazon Wishlist. We will be back next week! We also want to celebrate the return of the Hillside High IDE class volunteer team! This is their second year volunteering, and they are always excited to help❤️ #CommunityImpact #WishlistWednesday

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It's #WishlistWednesday, and today we would like to express our sincerest gratitude for your likes, shares, and support! It has truly made a difference in our daily operations❤️ Featured today on our urgent needs is blankets, twin size or larger. Every blanket brings comfort, warmth, and dignity to someone in need as temperatures begin to drop. How You Can Help: * Donate new or gently used twin-size (or larger) blankets * Host a drive to collect blankets * Like and share this post to expand our reach❤️ Together we can spread warmth and hope! #donateblankets

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Join us for a powerful community discussion moderated by Sheldon Mitchell, Executive Director of Urban Ministries of Durham, featuring a story of resilience, and hope. Chris Washburn is a motivational speaker, entrepreneur, and advocate who inspires others with his journey from addiction to redemption. Friday, September 5, 2025, at 6p.m. The Community Family Life & Recreational Center at Lyon Park 1309 Halley St, Durham, NC 27707

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We’re proud to partner with Coastal Credit Union to make a lasting impact in our community! Together, we’re working to support families in need. Coastal’s commitment to strengthening our community aligns with our mission, and we’re excited for what we’ll accomplish together! #CoastalChangeMakers #CommunityImpact #CommunityPartners

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It's #WishlistWednesday, and we have an urgent need❤️ Our free clothing closet is desperately low on summer clothing for kids, and we need your help to get through the rest of the season! We are seeking gently used or new summer clothing for children. Especially toddler sizes 3T-6X. Here is what we need: T-shirts & Tank tops Shorts Lightweight dresses Your donation can make a real difference for a family in need this summer. Thank you for liking, sharing, and helping to spread the word!

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