A (Somewhat) Brief History of Eagle’s Wings

In the fall of 1989, community meetings concluded that there were such a large number of families living below the poverty line that immediate steps needed to be taken to alleviate local hunger. They further concluded that a cooperative effort of Christian ministry could accomplish more than isolated individual efforts.

Eagle’s Wings opened on December 14 of that year at Trinity Episcopal Church in Chocowinity. Additional funding was provided by the Southern Baptist Convention Hunger Funds through First Baptist Church in Chocowinity. In August 1990, Eagle’s Wings moved to 212 South Bridge Street, where we gained much-needed space for rapid growth. Nine years later, after two other moves, Eagle’s Wings moved to its present location at 932 West 3rd Street in Washington. Leased at first, a mortgage was then secured.

For the next few years, Eagle’s Wings struggled to survive. In 2006, there was an influx of new board members and volunteers. The board size doubled, staff was hired, and a strategic plan was developed. A grant from First Presbyterian paid off the mortgage in 2007, and a grant from St. Peter’s Episcopal paid for two walk-in coolers in 2008.

From 2008 to 2012, annual “Dancing with Our Stars” fundraisers brought financial stability and led to the establishment of an endowment fund and reserves. Grants enabled the purchase of furniture, equipment, and carpeting, as well as the addition of an air-lock entry to shelter waiting clients. The Eaglets program began, providing weekend meals to food-insecure families through schoolchildren’s backpacks. The Home Bound Program allowed us to deliver groceries to food-insecure clients who were disabled, ill, or recovering from surgery.

Our Clients’ Choice Pantry opened, and the Mobile Food Pantry was established in collaboration with the Food Bank of Albemarle, serving families in Aurora and Chocowinity.

We continued to grow and revamp our facilities over the next few years. Our main pantry’s kitchen was built in 2013, and we replaced our 35-year-old forklift in 2014. In 2015, a new warehouse area and forklift shelter were constructed, a freezer unit was installed, a 20-year-old van was replaced, and an ADA-compliant bathroom was completed.

Our first grant request from the County Commissioners was approved in 2016. That year, we also began providing food for diabetics, a disease affecting about one-third of our clients, and we secured our first college intern from BCCC.

Eagle’s Wings expanded its ministry between 2017 and 2019, establishing three satellite locations and spurring outreach into pockets of poverty. One satellite grew into a stand-alone pantry, and a satellite at Alpha Omega Hispanic Baptist Church now addresses needs in the Hispanic community.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced a change from in-person Clients’ Choice shopping to a system of pre-loaded grocery carts packed with a wide variety of available foods, including fresh produce, eggs, and meats. The system has remained, as our clients told us they like it because it saves so much time and provides them with more food by weight.

We continue to seek every available opportunity to better meet the needs of our neighbors. Since the pandemic, we have streamlined the interview process, improved the waiting area, reduced wait times, built more personal relationships, provided more opportunities for prayer and emotional support to those in crisis, developed and distributed a “Beaufort County Resources” handout, and much more.

Our client base is growing, and our food supply is dwindling in 2026. We aspire to reach more neighbors in need but worry about securing enough food for all. It’s a challenge, but we are facing it with energy, determination, and prayer.