Kinston Area Recovery Effort (KARE) new director announced

The KARE organization recently met to discuss plans for the upcoming year as well as to appoint a new director for KARE. We were all very surprised and saddened at the passing of our former KARE director Mr. Adrian King. Adrian led KARE for the past few years after the AOC (Association of Congregations) chair at the time Mr. Vito Bisogno and current county commissioner and then United Way director and AOC member Mrs. June Cummings along with other AOC members resurrected KARE after it had remained dormant for many years after being first founded in the late 1990s.

It is with great pleasure that I announce our new director for KARE, Mrs. Becky Thigpen. Becky has been a KARE member for the past few years and she has served as our secretary/treasurer and case manager. Becky is also a member of the AOC and she is a volunteer/caseworker at ICOR as well as a caseworker for Unmet Needs in Lenoir County. Our desire is to keep KARE always on the ready so we will be able to act quickly as we help those who will be affected by the storms we will, unfortunately, face here in Lenoir County and Eastern North Carolina. Please help me as we welcome Becky to her new role with KARE and adds to her many hats that she wears as she serves Kinston and Lenoir County residents in any way she can. Thank You Becky for all you do!

I want to thank Queen Street Methodist Church for providing KARE with a space to carry on our operations as needed for the foreseeable future. Queen Street pastor Karl Grant has also been instrumental over the years with his service to and direction of the AOC and KARE. As I close this message I would like to ask all who will consider how you can help KARE remain ready to help others. We cannot do this alone, we need you! Please feel free to contact us with questions for how you can help or for those you know who are in need of assistance. Our number at KARE is 252-526-8815.

Pastor Hank Jarman, KARE Chairman