Gateway to Heaven volunteers preparing food for distribution

What we do

Serving now, and what comes next

Two programs run every month today. Five more are in development for Durham families, students, and seniors.

Serving now

Next distribution: October 17, 2026.

Food Pantry

What it is: Groceries handed out box by box: shelf-stable staples, and fresh items whenever we have them. You take what your household needs. There is no application and no fee.
Who it serves: Any Durham household that needs food. Families, seniors on a fixed income, people between jobs, neighbors having a hard month. You do not need to be a member of the church or of anything else.
When and where: The third Saturday of every month at 513 Roosevelt St, Durham, NC 27707. Come to the Roosevelt Street entrance.
What to bring: Bags, a cart, or boxes if you have them
A ride or a friend if you are picking up for more than one household
Nothing else — no paperwork, no ID requirement

Volunteer for this Get help

Free Clothing Giveaway

What it is: Clothing for the whole family, laid out so you can look through it and choose for yourself: coats and jackets in season, work clothes, school clothes, shoes, and children's sizes.
Who it serves: Anyone who needs clothes. Same day, same place as the pantry, so one trip covers both.
When and where: The third Saturday of every month at 513 Roosevelt St, Durham, NC 27707, alongside the pantry.
What to bring: Bags for what you pick out
Sizes for anyone at home who could not come with you
Clean clothing to donate, if you have some to pass on

Volunteer for this Get help

Coming soon

These programs are not open yet. Here is what each one will do, and what it will take to open the doors.

In development

Afterschool Tutoring

Weekday help with math, reading, and writing for Durham students, in a quiet room with adults who know their names.

Families on this side of Durham are paying for tutoring they cannot afford, or going without it. A child who falls behind in third grade rarely catches up alone.

What it will take to openCONFIRM — approximately $18,000 for a year of tables, materials, background checks, and a part-time coordinator.

Help us open this

In development

Literacy Program

One-on-one reading instruction for children and for adults who never got the chance, taught without embarrassment.

Adults in Durham lose jobs, benefits, and housing over paperwork they cannot read. Nobody should have to hide that.

What it will take to openCONFIRM — approximately $12,000 for curriculum, tutor training, and a year of weekly sessions.

Help us open this

In development

Adult Computer Class

Basic digital skills for adults and seniors: email, online applications, benefits portals, staying in touch with family.

Nearly every job application and benefits renewal in Durham is online now. Seniors are being locked out of systems built for them.

What it will take to openCONFIRM — approximately $9,000 for instruction, printed guides, and class laptops.

Help us open this

In development

Community Computer Lab

A public room with working computers, a printer, and internet, open to any neighbor who needs it.

The library is a bus ride away and closes early. Job applications, school assignments, and benefits paperwork do not wait for that.

What it will take to openCONFIRM — approximately $25,000 for machines, wiring, internet service, furniture, and the first year of upkeep.

Help us open this

In development

Children's Programs

Second and fourth Saturday programming for neighborhood children: enrichment, activities, and a safe place to be.

Two Saturdays a month, parents in this neighborhood are working and children have nowhere to go.

What it will take to openCONFIRM — approximately $10,000 for supplies, snacks, screened volunteers, and insurance.

Help us open this

Build it campaign

Help us open the doors on what's next.

Two rooms stand between our neighbors and a working computer lab and literacy program: desks, machines, internet, and a teacher on Saturdays.

Give to the build

$11,500

of $40,000 goal

29% of the way there

Placeholder figures — send us the real totals and we will update them