The CARE Clinic is hosting its 28th annual Week of Care. One of their yearly fundraisers, the Week of Care is a collaboration with several local food services to provide takeout meals that community members can purchase to support the CARE Clinic. All funds raised will directly support the Clinic.
Aiyana Lynch, Development and Marketing Director at the CARE Clinic, said that because they don’t receive government assistance, fundraisers like this are particularly important to keep the Clinic running.
“We rely mainly on donors, grants and these annual fundraisers,” she explained.
The Clinic offers medical services for uninsured and low-income individuals in Cumberland and surrounding counties.
According to Lynch, their services include basic medical care for adults, dental extractions, chronic care (Diabetes management), specialty services (PT, ortho, nutrition), medications ordered during clinic visits, clinic-ordered laboratory tests or x-rays, education, and referral to other resources.
Lynch said that potential patients must meet several criteria before being seen:
• Be an adult resident of Cumberland or surrounding counties.
• Have no insurance, including Medicaid or National health insurance (Ex. ACA)
• Meet an income requirement – household income within 200% of the federal poverty level.
• Must provide household proof of income.
• Must have a valid NC DMV or homeless photo ID.
• Must call on the phone to make an appointment.
Statistics provided by Lynch demonstrated the healthcare need that the CARE Clinic seeks to meet. Approximately 9.3% of North Carolina residents are uninsured, with Cumberland and surrounding counties exceeding that number. The approximate number of uninsured residents in Cumberland County is 9.8%. Rates of uninsured residents in surrounding counties are as follows:
• Robeson County: 13.3%
• Hoke County: 11%
• Bladen County: 10%
• Sampson County: 15.8%
• Harnett County: 10.4%
• Moore County: 11.7%
At the CARE Clinic, patients who would otherwise have to pay out of pocket for medical expenses can receive medical care and access the on-site pharmacy free of charge. Lynch said most of their patients come from Cumberland County, with the next highest percentages coming from Hoke and Robeson. In the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the Clinic provided 1,062 primary care visits, 35 nutrition visits, 139 Diabetic visits, 121 specialist visits (Ortho, PT, & Dermatology), 696 dental extractions, 4,733 prescriptions, and 540 lab tests.
This service track record is in keeping with the CARE Clinic’s history and vision. Operating since 1993, the acronym CARE stands for compassion, assistance, referral, and education — tenets that the Clinic still adheres to.
Currently, a 19-member board of directors leads the Clinic. It boasts four full-time and six part-time staff members and a constantly fluctuating number of volunteers.
“We're always accepting volunteers for various things, whether it's medical staff or front office staff, committee members,” Lynch said.
Information provided by the CARE Clinic described volunteers as “the foundation of all we do,” adding that volunteers support the clinic’s day-to-day function by caring for patients and helping with other essential clinic tasks such as scheduling and cleaning. Lynch said that community members interested in volunteering can call the main office number to speak with the volunteer coordinator.
Beyond volunteers, the Clinic depends on the generous financial support of community members and organizations to keep its doors open.
“All the money that comes from meal purchases and sponsorship purchases goes directly to the cost of running the clinic.” Lynch shared about the upcoming Week of Care Fundraiser, which has a $80,000 goal.
She explained that the local participating restaurants seemed excited to collaborate with the CARE Clinic on this fundraiser, saying, “The restaurants have been great.”
In the past, this particular fundraiser was called “Evening of Care.” After the COVID-19 pandemic, they restructured the event to span an entire week, allowing participants more flexibility. This year, Dorothy’s Catering 2, Luigi’s Italian Chophouse & Bar, and The Coffee Scene are collaborating with the CARE Clinic to “...offer a variety of take-home meals you may purchase for pick-up on a designated night of the week. The meals will feed 6 to 8 people depending on varying appetites and all of them are freezer friendly.
Meals available through Dorothy’s Catering 2 will include a Frozen Chicken & Spinach Lasagna Meal, a Frozen Meat Lasagna Meal or a Frozen Vegetarian Lasagna.
Meals available through Luigi’s Italian Chophouse & Bar will include: Family Style Chicken Marsala (Dinner), Family Style Spaghetti (Dinner), Chicken Marsala Meal (Lunch), and Family Style Spaghetti (Lunch).
Meals available through The Coffee Scene will include: Bacon Quiche Meal, Crustless Sausage & Pepper Quiche Meal, and Vegetarian Quiche Meal.
The CARE Clinic suggests purchasing a meal “for a busy night that allows a special Valentine family gathering, a lake or beach trip, or to provide to the elderly who may need extra help,” adding that uses for this year’s lunch options are limited only by your creativity!
The Week of Care will run Saturday, Feb. 1 to Saturday, Feb. 8. Community members can place orders from Jan. 1 to 26. Lynch recommended placing meal orders early, as there are limited spots available.
To sponsor the fundraiser or order a meal, call 910-485-0555, email admin@thecareclinic.org or visit www.weekofcare.com.