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Motel Connect

Motels: The Modern Face of Homelessness

Motel Connect is a volunteer-based program that addresses food insecurities for families living in motels and hotels in Wake County. Weekly, Motel Connect delivers much-needed fresh and shelf-stable groceries for families–giving them nutritional meals and a financial reprieve. With housing becoming increasingly unaffordable, more and more families are turning to hotel rooms for shelter. While they provide safety and security, motel rooms do not have full working kitchens. Many of these families live in a single motel room with only insufficient beds. Children are sleeping on floor palettes, there is very little privacy, no room to play, and rarely is there green space for children to get exercise.

Families We Serve

Volunteers bring healthy, fresh food to motels or families transitioning into apartments or houses.

In the current housing climate, landlords are asking for 3x (or more) monthly rent as a deposit. Families can not afford that. A motel can seem like a good stop-gap measure. $1,200 in monthly hotel payments seems much more palatable or reasonable to many of our families.

YTD Outcomes

HELP US HELP FAMILIES

Each week a group of dedicated volunteers picks up boxes from the Food Bank of NC. They are full of perishable and non-perishable foods to deliver to every family requested or referred by a Case Manager. Our main goal is to alleviate food insecurities, enhance nutrition, and promote resilience. Families can save more for apartment deposits, fees, and other basic needs by providing food subsidies.

Partner With Us

You can make a difference in the lives of those living in transitional housing.

Organizations, churches, or individuals who want to partner with us can organize their own drives and fundraisers to help local families. Members from our team will gladly pick up your group donations. We never know how many families we will have on our schedule each week, and we are dedicated to serving them all.

By partnering with Motel Connect, you can make a difference in the lives of those living in transitional housing, especially children.

Ways to get Involved

  • Pack hygiene and laundry care kits, including deodorants, feminine products, bar soaps, laundry soap*, stain removers, etc.
    • When a group collaborates to pack care kits, this alleviates financial stress for our families. More importantly, it enables adults and children to wear clean clothes and feel and look their best, boosting confidence for the whole family.
  • Donate an electric skillet or crockpot.
    • Help reduce dependency on fast food and encourage healthier choices.
  • Donate grocery store gift cards.
    • Give Motel Connect families the freedom to grocery shop and supplement our food boxes.
    • $50-$100 will provide nutritious food or urgent supplies to a family living in transitional housing for one week.
  • Fill tote bags with art supplies for each child in the Motel Connect Program.
    • This encourages creativity and expression in the children and puts big smiles on their faces.
  • Get involved in a way that’s meaningful to you!