Durham Rescue Mission serves New Year's lunches

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Hundreds of people without permanent homes started 2023 with hot lunches served inside two Durham Rescue Mission locations.

After praying together inside the men's shelter, Christopher Sievers of the Durham Rescue mission described the day's menu.

"We got corned beef brisket, we got barbecue chicken, we got collard greens, we got black eyed peas," he said. "We got corn bread with honey, fresh salad and a plethora of desserts."

It's a reminder that after the New Year's Eve celebrations on Saturday night, many people struggle to make it at the start of 2023.

"We're running tight right now, especially in our women and children's division. We've never had this many children. We've had 37, 40 kids here regularly. and we're not equipped for that many kids. With this cold snap we just had, whew, we were putting people everywhere on the floor and everything. So, we really need those beds," Rob Tart, COO of the Durham Rescue Mission said.

There's space for dozens of additional beds in a dorm that's under construction at the rescue mission, but Tart says supply chain issues are delaying completion of that update.

"We gotta get beds in, we gotta get everything set up. And there's things they can't do until the power's on. They can't put down the flooring because if it freezes and we don't have heat, then the flooring pops up," Tart said.

They said prayers of gratitude before the New Year's Day lunch was served, as organizers work to get needed supplies delivered and installed as soon as they can.

We'll update this story when they arrive in Durham.