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Open Table Ministry Essentials

Open Table Ministry is hosting Glasses for the Homeless for a free vision screening and glasses giveaway for individuals experiencing homelessness in Durham. Vision problems can make it harder to read paperwork, fill out job applications, or get around safely. This event provides a screening and a pair of glasses at no cost, no appointment needed.

Move-In Monday When we celebrate someone moving into a place of their own, we’re reminded that we are one part of their housing story. No one gets there alone, and neither do we. It takes outreach and engagement to build trust. It takes housing providers and case managers offering wraparound support. It takes a backbone agency coordinating the work, health care workers meeting people where they are, and a whole community showing up along the way. This week, we’re thrilled to share that two of our friends have moved into a place of their own with @housing4newhope. We’re grateful to every partner who had a hand in this, and we’re cheering on our neighbors as they settle in. Welcome home, friends!

This summer, we had the joy of partnering with the Duke University School of Nursing's Community Health course. For 10 weeks, nursing students volunteered alongside us, getting to know our unsheltered neighbors - sitting with them, listening to their stories, and offering care with real thoughtfulness. We're so grateful for the compassion these students brought to our community. And we're thrilled knowing what they learned here won't stay here - it'll travel with them into every clinical setting they enter next.

🏠 MYTH vs. FACT: Homelessness in Durham 🏠 ******************************************************** MYTH: “If someone is homeless, there’s nothing I can do.” FACT: Small acts of support matter. A meal. A pair of shoes. A shower. Help replacing an ID. A connection to healthcare. A kind conversation. A safe place to access resources. These things may seem small—but when someone is navigating life without stable housing, they can be incredibly meaningful. Join Open Table Ministry as we support our neighbors experiencing homelessness in these ways and more! 🩵

👟♥️ WALK WITH PURPOSE. LOOK GOOD DOING IT. ♥️👕 Have you seen this year’s Walk in Their Shoes shirts?! 👀 We think they’re the perfect way to show your support for our unsheltered neighbors here in Durham! Join Open Table Ministry for our 17th Annual Walk in Their Shoes 5K & Walk and be part of a community taking meaningful steps toward ending homelessness. ✨ THE BEST PART? IT’S FREE TO ATTEND AND PARTICIPATE! ✨ Want to snag one of our event T-shirts and a swag bag? Here’s how! 👇 👟 Register with a $50 donation and you’ll receive a Walk in Their Shoes T-shirt AND a swag bag! Your donation also helps support Open Table Ministry’s work connecting our neighbors with essential resources, clothing, and the relationships they need to move toward long-term health and wholeness. ♥️ 📅 Saturday, November 7, 2026 ⏰ 10:00 AM 📍 Southern Boundaries Park | 100 3rd Fork Rd., Durham, NC 27707 💻 Registration link in bio 🎉 Come for the walk. Stay for the community. Leave knowing you’ve helped make a difference! 👉 REGISTER TODAY, grab your shirt, and invite a friend to walk alongside you! Can’t make a donation? No problem — come out and participate for FREE! Let’s fill the park with people who care. Every step matters, and we’d love to see YOU there! 👟♥️ #WalkInTheirShoes #OpenTableMinistry #DurhamNC #EndHomelessness #EveryStepMatters

This past Tuesday, we had the joy of welcoming Project BRI(DDGE) to the Free Store! Project BRI(DDGE) is a pre-orientation service week for incoming students at Duke Divinity School — a chance for them to get to know Durham, the community, and the neighbors they’ll be learning alongside for years to come. These students jumped right in, leading our outreach efforts by befriending neighbors and providing vital items to those experiencing homelessness right here in Durham. It’s a beautiful thing to watch students begin their formation not in a classroom, but on the ground, building relationships with the people of this city. We’re so grateful for their partnership and can’t wait to see how this week shapes their journey ahead. Welcome to Durham, Duke Divinity students - thank you for showing up for our neighbors!

Hi-Wire was packed last night for Karma Keg. Good crowd, fun energy, and a lot of amazing nonprofits in one room. We didn’t come home with the win, but our staff and interns spent the night talking with people about Open Table Ministry and the work we do with our unhoused neighbors. Worth the trip either way! Thanks to everyone who came out, asked questions, and voted for us. Thanks also to @inhabitthetriangle for organizing and @hiwirebrewing_durm for hosting!

✨Open Table Ministry exists because we believe our neighbors experiencing homelessness deserve more than a temporary solution.✨🏠 They deserve to be seen. Heard. Welcomed. Supported. And treated with dignity. Our mission is to walk alongside people experiencing homelessness and poverty by building trusting relationships, meeting practical and personal needs, connecting people with community resources, and helping bridge the gaps in our social service system. Every Tuesday at the Free Store. During Office Hours. Through case management. Through our community partnerships. Through every conversation, cup of coffee, shower, donated pair of shoes, and helping hand. It all comes back to one thing: community. Because when we make room for our neighbors, we create a community where everyone has the opportunity to find stability and thrive. That’s Open Table Ministry.

Open Table Ministry is hiring Shelter Monitors for this winter. From November 1 to February 28, we’ll be sheltering guests at two partner hotels, with one monitor at each site. Monitors help guests with day-to-day needs, work with hotel staff, sort out problems as they come up, and help people connect with the care and services they need on the way to stable housing. Details: • Temporary position, November 1, 2026 – February 28, 2027 • $28/hour, about 24–32 hours a week • Weekdays 7–11am and 4–8pm, weekends 10am–2pm • Overnight on-call shared among monitors, paid at a flat rate • Required training on October 28 or 29, 5–8pm (attend one) Experience in human services or with people experiencing homelessness is helpful. Peer Support Specialists and bilingual applicants, especially Spanish speakers, are encouraged to apply. To apply, email admin(at)opentableministry(dot)org Please share this with anyone who might be a good fit.

👟 WE’RE TWO MONTHS AWAY! 👟 The countdown is on! In just 2 months, we’ll be gathering for Open Table Ministry’s 17th Annual Walk in Their Shoes fundraiser! ❤️ 📅 Saturday, November 7th, 2026 📍 Southern Boundaries Park — Durham, NC ⏰ 10:00 AM Set aside the date and come walk alongside us as we raise awareness, build community, and make a real difference in the lives of our unsheltered neighbors. Every step matters. Every person matters. Let your steps make a difference. 👣❤️ Mark your calendar, invite your friends and family, and get ready to Walk in Their Shoes! #WalkInTheirShoes #OpenTableMinistry #EndHomelessness #DurhamNC #DurhamCommunity #EveryStepMatters #MakeADifference

A big thank you to the Duke Community Affairs Office for packing 250 hygiene kits for our neighbors! These kits will go out through our Free Store, putting everyday essentials directly into the hands of people who need them. Duke’s “Doing Good” community fund has supported our Ready ID program for the past three years. That support has helped neighbors get the identification they need to access housing, jobs, and benefits. The funding matters a great deal. So does the presence. We’re grateful for partners who don’t stop at writing a check. They show up, roll up their sleeves, and become part of the community we’re building together. Thank you, @dukeindurham, for being that kind of partner. ____________________ If you too would like to find a way to get involved, join us for our upcoming Walk in Their Shoes fundraiser happening at Southern Boundaries Park! 📆 November 7 | 10 am 📍100 3rd Fork Rd., Durham, NC 27707 💻 Registration link in bio #opentableministry #endhomelessness #durhamnc #dukecommunityaffairs #CommunityMatters

Tomorrow at the Free Store, we’re partnering with Glasses for the Homeless for a free vision screening and glasses fitting. This grassroots initiative provides donated glasses to folks experiencing homelessness, helping build self-esteem and open doors to a brighter future.

👟 SAVE THE DATE! 👟 Mark your calendars now for Open Table Ministry’s 17th Annual Walk In Their Shoes! 📅 Saturday, November 7, 2026 🕙 10:00 AM 📍 Southern Boundaries Park | Durham, NC Every step you take helps raise awareness and support for our neighbors experiencing homelessness in Durham. Together, we can walk in solidarity, build community, and make a lasting difference. Whether you’re a longtime supporter or joining us for the first time, we’d love to have you walk alongside us for this meaningful event. ✨ More details, registration information, and ways to get involved are coming soon—but for now, SAVE THE DATE and invite your family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors! #WalkInTheirShoes #OpenTableMinistry #EndHomelessness #DurhamNC #SaveTheDate #CommunityMatters #WalkForChange

🛍️ Free Store Restock Request 🛍️ Our Tuesday Free Store at Open Table Ministry is in need of a few essential items, and we’re asking our amazing community to help us restock! We’re currently looking for: 👞 Men’s shoes (sizes 9–12) 🎒 Gently used backpacks 🧢 Baseball caps 👖 Men’s belts If you have any of these items in good, clean condition that you’re no longer using, we’d be so grateful for your donation. Every item helps restore dignity and meet a practical need for our neighbors experiencing hardship. Donations can be dropped off at our Office, M-F, 9-4pm (except for Tuesday mornings when we are serving our neighbors at Free Store). Thank you for helping us serve our community with love and compassion. Together, we make a difference. ❤️ #OpenTableMinistry #TuesdayFreeStore #CommunityCare #ServeWithLove #NeighborsHelpingNeighbors

👟 REGISTRATION IS OPEN! 👟 It’s time to show up and let every step make a difference by registering for our 2026 Walk in Their Shoes! ♥️ Join Open Table Ministry on Saturday, November 7th at Southern Boundaries Park in Durham for our 17th annual Walk in Their Shoes 5K fundraiser! Share this event with your community and spread the love! Every step you take helps support our work with neighbors experiencing homelessness and poverty right here in Durham. When you register, you’re not just signing up for a 5K—you’re helping create connection, build relationships, meet practical needs, and remind our unsheltered neighbors that they are seen, valued, and not alone. All experience levels are welcome! Even if you just want to come cheer on the runners! 🏃‍♀️ Walk. Run. Jog. Bring the whole crew! 👟 Registration is officially OPEN! 📅 Saturday, November 7, 10am 📍 Southern Boundaries Park, 100 3rd Fork Rd., Durham, NC 27707 ♥️ Let your steps make a difference. 👉 Register today and Walk in Their Shoes with us! #WalkInTheirShoes #OpenTableMinistry #DurhamNC #EndHomelessness #WalkForACause #MakeADifference #CommunityMatters

👟 PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: BULL CITY RUNNING CO. 👟 Talk about a perfect partnership. 😉 When you’re literally in the business of helping Durham get moving, supporting Walk in Their Shoes just makes sense! We are so grateful to Bull City Running Co. for supporting Open Table Ministry’s 2026 fundraiser. Bull City Running has built more than a running store—it has helped build a community around movement, connection, encouragement, and showing up for one another. And that’s exactly what Walk in Their Shoes is about. Because ending homelessness doesn’t happen with one giant leap. It happens one relationship, one resource, one conversation, one act of kindness—and one step—at a time. Thank you, Bull City Running, for helping us put one foot in front of the other as we work toward a stronger, more compassionate Durham. ♥️ Let your steps make a difference. #WalkInTheirShoes #OpenTableMinistry #BullCityRunning #DurhamNC #RunDurham #EndHomelessness

🩵✨ Welcome Brant Copen to the Open Table team! ✨🩵 Brant is joining us full-time as our newest Case Manager. Brant's heart for this work took root doing street outreach in Phoenix and was forged working alongside Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, India. He believes the inherent value and dignity of every individual compels a communal preference for the poor - and that conviction is exactly why we're so glad to have him at OTM. If Brant looks familiar, it's because he's been part of the OTM community for a while: he interned with us through Duke Divinity School and was the fastest runner at our 2024 Walk in Their Shoes event!!! When he's not serving our neighbors, you'll find Brant cooking for his wife and daughter, cycling to a downtown coffee shop, or out on a trail. Join us in welcoming Brant to the team!

Behind every step we take is a neighbor who deserves a chance to thrive. ♥️ A person working toward stable housing. Someone trying to replace a lost ID. A neighbor in need of shoes, clothing, or simply someone willing to listen. These are the people at the heart of Open Table Ministry’s work. Our 17th Annual Walk in Their Shoes 5K helps make it possible for us to continue showing up, meeting practical needs, and building the trusting relationships that create opportunities for lasting change. Join us on November 7 and help us keep moving forward, together. 👟 Saturday, November 7, 2026 ⏰ 10 AM 📍 100 3rd Fork Rd, Durham, NC 27707 Let your steps make a difference. Register today! ♥️

Our registration page is live! Open Table Ministry’s 17th Annual Walk in Their Shoes is Saturday, November 7th at 10 AM, Southern Boundaries Park in Durham. This annual event is how we fund the work. OTM is a 501(c)(3), and 100% of what we raise goes straight to our unhoused neighbors - offering clothing, vital supplies, and housing navigation to help people move off the streets and into stability. Sign up, bring a friend, and join us in supporting our neighbors!

📣🏠 ANNOUNCEMENT: Neighbor Move In!!! 🏠📣 Last week, Thomas moved into a home of their own. It took persistence, patience, and a lot of paperwork, but Thomas stuck with it, and today he's unpacking in a place that’s theirs. We’re grateful we got to walk alongside them, and grateful to Housing for New Hope for helping make this possible. ✨🏠 Welcome home, Thomas! 🏠✨ _______________________ Participating in fundraising events like our upcoming Walk in Their Shoes helps us continue to provide the life-changing support for individuals like Thomas, who now has a place to call home! If you'd like to be part of helping our unsheltered neighbors navigate getting the support they need, jog on over and get registered today! 📆 November 7 | 10 am 📍100 3rd Fork Rd., Durham, NC 27707 💻 Registration link in bio #opentableministry #endhomelessness #housingfornewhope #walkintheirshoes

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📣🏠 ANNOUNCEMENT: Neighbor Move In!!!