MAGGY AWARD WINNER: Best Nonprofit
In a bold move to amplify their impact, Dorcas Ministries and Western Wake Crisis Ministry have entered a new era by merging into a single organization, aptly named NeighborUp. This transformation stems from a shared vision that emphasizes the enduring power of community and collaboration.
“It was really important for us, as we move forward, to honor the legacy of Dorcas Ministries and Western Wake Crisis Ministry,” says NeighborUp CEO André Anthony about the now-unified institutions’ combined 100-year history.
“The merger has been an idea that’s been floating around for years,” shares Vice President of Communication & Strategy Shelley Hobbs, whose three-plus-year tenure at Dorcas Ministries — a few months longer than André’s — was predated by an interest of merging with Western Wake Crisis Ministry.
“When I arrived, it was clear that both organizations were already working closely together,” André says, “and the conversation about merging was just a natural progression.” Both organizations were born out of the church, and both possessed the same desire to serve the community. “We got to a point where, as we were both growing, it made natural sense for us to further explore what it would look like if we combined our resources.”
Her studio isn’t much bigger than a closet, but Audrey Pettit makes use of every inch to photograph and upload items to the Dorcas Thrift Shop online store.
The merger aims to leverage the strengths of both organizations to better serve the community. “There was a ton of support to move forward with a merger,” André says, “because people thought that we would be better together — and that became the theme of the merger: ‘better together.’”
The union required a new name that reflects, as Shelley describes it, “who we are and what we do.” A “neighbor-centric name,” she says, only made sense given that both Dorcas and Western Wake were rooted in service to their neighbors and have continued in the same way for a combined century. There was an overriding need “to get it right … to honor the past as we move forward in a way that is going to continue for decades to come.”
The thoughtful approach to honoring this shared legacy while ensuring that the new name was memorable and scalable resulted in an intentional choice that is, according to Shelley, “not only a noun but also a verb: We are NeighborUp, and we invite people to NeighborUp with us to serve the community.”
Both organizations already had similar taglines — Dorcas Ministries’ was “Helping Our Neighbors Thrive,” while Western Wake’s was “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” — but the brand undertaking was “more about refining what exactly it is we want to say about ourselves and what we want to convey as our mission,” Shelley says. “It was not so much that either organization changed as much as we really pulled the best pieces and descriptors from both to move forward.”
That unified mission? “As neighbors, we’re called to lift each other up. At NeighborUp, we equip and empower our neighbors in need with basic essentials and valuable skills so they can continue their journey toward success — building a community where every neighbor thrives.”
The new brand was unveiled at last year’s annual Thanksgiving breakfast, the biggest event of the year. Before 400 attendees, several town mayors and founding volunteers shared the story of the merger, emphasizing the importance of community involvement in a must-watch video that remains on neighborup.org.
Since then, NeighborUp has continued to share the impact of what it looks like to NeighborUp.
“We NeighborUp for families who are facing housing crises, and we NeighborUp for families by helping them keep food on the table,” André says. “And we NeighborUp through our thrift shop by offering high-quality items at affordable prices, and we NeighborUp for people working to get higher paying jobs through our education partnership with Wake Tech Community College.”
The Dorcas Thrift Shop offers clothing, housewares, accessories, electronics,
media, art, floral arrangements, books, crafts, jewelry, and vintage collectibles.
The merger has already yielded significant results. In 2025, as a combined organization NeighborUp served over 11,000 people, providing over $5.7 million in food and financial assistance — more than ever before. Such an accomplishment was only possible, André says, because of “the incredible dedication of the entire NeighborUp community … from staff to volunteers to community partners and donors.”
NeighborUp serves individuals throughout Western and most of Southern Wake County. Eligible residents may receive housing, rent, and food assistance, though NeighborUp also provides crisis emergency assistance — which includes things like emergency medical or vet bills, car repairs, or childcare assistance, and other and other miscellaneous expenses. Thanks to the “incredible” support of donors, something André calls “really humbling,” NeighborUp has also been able to increase the amount of financial assistance provided for families.
“We work with people who have lost their jobs. We work with people who actually have great jobs, but the impact of inflation is affecting them,” André explains. “Hardship,” he says, “does not discriminate.”
The community’s response has been overwhelmingly positive. “Our donors and volunteers have really rallied around the idea of being better together,” which is reflected in the new tagline: “Help for today. Hope for tomorrow.”
Integral to NeighborUp’s mission is the Dorcas Thrift Shop, which continues to operate as part of NeighborUp. The thrift shop not only supports the organization’s programs but also serves as a vital resource for families in need. “You’re going to get a really great deal at the thrift shop, but your really great deal is putting food on someone’s table that night, and your really great deal is helping keep someone’s lights on, and your really great deal is helping an adult go back to school and get a certification so that they can get a higher-paying job,” Shelley emphasizes.
As NeighborUp moves forward, the organization is eager to engage the community in neighboring up. “Many people want to help but don’t know how,” Shelley notes. “The key is taking action.” Dorcas Thrift Shop offers just one way that people can make what she calls “a real impact.”
“We have seen a real excitement around the new name and around the growth that we’re seeing,” André says. “We want to continue making a difference for decades to come,” he concludes. “Together, we can create a community that truly embodies the spirit of neighborliness.”
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