Dorcas Ministries in Cary and Western Wake Crisis Ministry (WWCM) in Apex share the same fundamental purpose, which is to help those in need. In the spirit of being better together, on January 1, 2025, these two stalwarts of Wake County community support joined forces and merged. To better understand what this means for these organizations and the community at large, I sat down with Dorcas’ Chief Executive Officer, André Anthony, and WWCM’s Executive Director, Dr. Atoya Hodges. But, before getting into the details of my very insightful conversation with them, I want to provide thumbnail descriptions of both organizations.
Dorcas Ministries was established in June 1968 by Margaret Keller. At the time, she gathered a small group of Christian ladies from across racial and denominational lines to address a growing concern: how to best serve our neighbors in need in the Cary and Morrisville communities. It’s worth noting that anyone (i.e., race, creed, color, socio-economic background, etc.) within the service area is welcome. The Dorcas Thrift Shop opened in 1972 to raise funds and expand community programs. The name was inspired by Tabitha (also known as Dorcas), a woman of compassion in the Bible. In the late 1970s, a client services office was created. Through thrift shop proceeds and other donations, Dorcas began to help community members with food, gas, transportation for medical appointments, and other concerns. Dorcas is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) and celebrated its 56th year of service last year including more than 1,200 volunteers and over 5,900 clients served.
Western Wake Crisis Ministry was founded in 1983 by Antoinette Clark. She recognized a need to provide assistance to residents in the community. The ministry started in the basement of a local Baptist church and served about seven families each week. Several area churches have been involved from the beginning but, like Dorcas, anyone of any race, creed, color, socio-economic background, etc. within the service area is welcome. The ministry provides myriad services, including food assistance, financial support related to utilities and housing, and financial counseling. WWCM has grown to be an important outreach that serves over 450 families in our community each month. Also a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), WWCM celebrated 40 years of service in 2023. They have over 150 active volunteers working today. Their service area includes Apex, New Hill, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina and Willow Springs.
Why these two organizations and why now?
Anthony detailed how they share similar backgrounds, missions and values, which creates unified goals and aspirations in the community. By leveraging their collective strengths and coming together now, he explained that they can serve a wider community and do it more effectively and comprehensively while continuing to grow and expand. He added that this unique and special blending of two like-minded organizations with similar backgrounds and focus on serving the community comes from a place of strength — both financial and operational.
“Our footprint will be bigger and so will our impact,” Hodges said. The merger allows both organizations to fill in gaps and expand services. Over time, you can expect that services currently and exclusively offered by Dorcas or WWCM would be cross-pollinated, in a sense, resulting in more comprehensive ways to provide assistance for our neighbors facing challenging situations. “The merger creates a larger staff team and the opportunity to look at offering additional services in the community. We both have the same purpose and goal: to help people in a crisis so that they will eventually not need our services,” Hodges said.
Anthony reflected that the desire for this merger predates Hodges and himself and has been under consideration for the better part of a decade. But he said it gained momentum about 18 to 24 months ago. “We need to work together in a profound way, so the question was: How do we do it? Is it a partnership, shared services, a management agreement, or do we merge?” Anthony recalled. At that point, the boards of directors from both organizations voted unanimously to enter an exploratory period with a third-party consultant leading a formal due diligence process, which lasted from spring to early fall of 2024. Then, in October, after more than 90 stakeholder interviews conducted with community members, staff, volunteers, board members, donors, local government officials and other partners, a formal vote was held, and the unanimous support of both boards solidified the path to merge.
They spent the next two months carving out the merger agreement which was ratified by the boards in December 2024. “On January 1, 2025, we became a legally merged organization. We are working together to examine and align processes and operations to create a successful path forward while staying focused on our mission, ensuring that we continue to meet the needs of our clients daily. 2025 is devoted to operationalizing the merger,” Anthony said.
“It was important to prioritize people during the first phase, making sure that everyone on all fronts is taken care of, including staff, volunteers and clients. Each person plays a significant role in the success of our organization, and we cannot move forward and continue serving our communities well without everyone involved,” Hodges said.
I asked what the future looks like after the operations piece is complete.
“We envision our future as one seamless organization with two campuses that serve all of western and most of southern Wake County. For example, today, we’d have to refer an Apex resident who visits the Cary office back to WWCM. In the future, if you live within the service area of the combined organization, you can receive services at either location,” Anthony explained.
Financial support services, food assistance and workforce development will be available at either location if you live in the service area. A thrift store like the ultra-successful Dorcas Shop in Cary is planned for Apex in the future. Both leaders agreed that this can’t be understated. “Having a diversified revenue stream is critical. Leveraging our retail operation and philanthropic support maximizes the assistance we can provide and will ultimately help us continue to grow,” Anthony noted. “We are planting the seeds and nurturing those opportunities and relationships now to facilitate this next phase,” Hodges detailed.
When I asked about any challenges faced so far as the organizations blend into one, Anthony said that their experience has been nothing out of the ordinary. Any hiccups or challenges they’ve encountered are inherent to any organization facing a merger, as it takes time to integrate processes, establish communication norms, and foster culture. “There are a lot of similarities, but there are also differences that need to be considered. Some decisions are quick and simple, while others may require more time. We are being very thoughtful and intentional throughout this process to ensure that staff and volunteers are confident moving forward so that we can grow and expand in a way that best serves our community and meets their needs daily,” Anthony said.
Anthony also shared that a foundational piece to ensuring success, today and in the future, is about resources (i.e., funding). “We are committed to increasing financial support, which is vital to fully realize the potential of what this merger could be. Dorcas and WWCM have incredibly generous donors and supporters, and the surrounding community shares the desire to make an even bigger impact. Moving forward, we focus on developing and stewarding our resources well to go from good to great.” Anthony explained.
From Hodges’ perspective, she agrees that there have not been a lot of stumbling blocks out of the gate. They are navigating the expected hurdles. She pivoted to a different challenge: the economy. “We are fortunate that we don’t rely on federal funding, and the grants we typically see don’t fund our day-to-day assistance, which keeps us in a good position,” Hodges said.
Anthony piggybacked off Hodges’ insight and shared that while Dorcas and WWCM aren’t dependent on federal support, government decisions and regulations could impact some of their partner organizations. This could create a trickle-down effect whereby if assistance options aren’t available across other outlets in the community, Dorcas/WWCM could likely see more neighbors lining up at their door.
An additional component of the merger is understanding the mission, vision and values of Dorcas and WWCM to ensure a strong and unified message and purpose carries the organization forward. Just as work is happening to align operations and processes, there is also a focus on aligning brand and language. Another big step that has already been taken is the blending of the boards of directors, which is providing support and leadership in partnership with the staff.
“We are a We now,” Hodges said.
In closing, I asked both leaders for some final thoughts.
“It’s a brave step for these organizations. This is an opportunity to honor the history and legacy established by those who have gone before us and take it to new heights. This doesn’t happen often, and we are committed to taking the next step in boldness and unity for the good of our neighbors and growth of the community,” Anthony beamed.
“We are all coming together with strength and excitement to move forward, and we are resilient. It takes both of our armies — volunteers, staff, the board, donors, and community partners. We are blessed to have such a strong army,” Hodges underscored.
Better together for this merger of two beloved community service organizations with a combined 100 years of service means expanding the depth and scope of their reach and assistance and ultimately helping neighbors get to a place where they can thrive.
[Note: At this time and until there is follow-up communication, stakeholders should follow established communication channels (e.g., phone, email, websites, social media), and operations are business as usual at both locations. This includes volunteering, donating, and receiving services. A complete rollout of programs, operations and more will come later this year.]
https://dorcasnc.org ~ https://wwcm.org
