What are the opening hours?

Monday 9am - 11am Tuesday 9am - 11am Wednesday 9am - 11am Thursday 9am - 11am

The Sister Isaac Center

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Wilmington, NC
The Sister Isaac Center

To serve men, women and their families in need with respect and reverence. The Sister Isaac Center (Formerly St.

Mary/Tileston Outreach)
SERVICES OFFERED

The St. Mary-Tileston Outreach serves many needs within the community. Some of them are outlined below.

-Food - Each year we distribute about 3500 bags of groceries. The food feeds both adults and children in low income households.

-Hygiene - Hygiene products are given upon request. This year we have served over 1250 individuals at a cost of over $500 pe

r month.

-Clothing - With the help of our hard-working volunteer base we are able to provide clothing assistance to over 2000 people each year. Clothes are carefully selected to best suit the guests needs. A volunteer works with each guest as their "personal shopper".

-Purchasing household items can put a strain on paying essential bills. We try to offer items ranging from pots and pans to microwaves ovens to our guests so they can conserve their limited funds for rent and utilities. Over 700 individuals received household items last year. Seasonal Ministry Projects include Thanksgiving food baskets, Christmas food baskets, Christmas gift program and "Yesterday's Children" shoe boxes delivered to Hadden Hall and other senior citizens in need.

06/11/2026

Today is National Making Life Beautiful Day!

We'd like to celebrate our wonderful volunteers that make everything we do at the Sister Isaac Center possible. Pictured here is our eldest volunteer, Bob, who is here 4 days a week! At 93 years young, Bob has spent the better part of his life giving of himself, and he continues to do so today.

Thank you for making the lives of everyone at SIC beautiful every day, Bob!

05/21/2026

The Sister Isaac Center will be closed on Monday May 25th in observance of Memorial Day.

We will reopen Tuesday May 26th at 9am.

05/14/2026

Imagine being too sick to work, watching the bills pile up, and then — the water gets shut off. 💧

That was John's reality. Out of work due to a medical issue and with no sick leave to fall back on, he fell behind on his water bill until it was disconnected. He was ready to get back on his feet, but a paycheck was still two weeks away.

By teaming up with two other local agencies, we were able to cover what John needed to get his water turned back on — so he could focus on healing, working, and taking care of his family.

John was doing everything right. Sometimes life just hits hard, and that's where YOU come in. Thank you to our donors for making moments like this possible. 💛

05/11/2026

How YOU can help 💛

Your donation keeps the lights on, prevents evictions, puts food on the table, and helps our neighbors live with dignity.

🥫 $100 — Stocks our shelves with protein-rich staples like chicken, ground beef, tuna, and peanut butter.
🏠 $500 — Supports our rent & utility fund, preventing evictions and shut-offs for seniors and families in crisis.
🧼 $1,000 — Provides a full month of hygiene essentials for all 900 of our monthly guests.
✨ $5,000–$10,000 — Truly transformational. Could fund job training tuition, months of rent during a medical crisis, or other high-impact needs that restore stability.

More ways to give:

🎯 Designate your gift — direct your donation toward a cause close to your heart (single moms, hygiene, rent, food, and more).
🔁 Monthly giving — keeps critical funds available whenever a guest walks through our door.
🕊️ Memorial gifts — honor a loved one with a meaningful donation. We'll send a personalized card to their family.

👉 Donate here: https://secure.myvanco.com/L-ZY71/campaign/C-166ED?access=tile_direct

05/08/2026

Who is Sister Isaac?

In 1983, Sister Isaac Koenig, a Catholic nun of the Society of St. Ursula, came to Wilmington to serve at St. Mary parish and began assessing the social needs of the local community. She immediately saw that there was a food desert in the area, and those with limited means found it especially difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food.

What began as a simple food pantry stocked by parishioner donations quickly sparked neighborhood interest, and soon members of the larger community were spontaneously bringing food and clothing. First named the Tileston Center — after the building in which it is housed — at her retirement in 2016, it was renamed The Sister Isaac Center.

Today The Sister Isaac Center serves more than 10,000 people per year with food, clothing, housewares, and hygiene items, financial assistance, and most of all, loving concern.

05/05/2026

"I just need a roof."

That's what a mother of five told us recently, after fleeing a domestic violence situation with her children. In the rush to get somewhere safe, she signed a lease on the first apartment she could find. Three months later, the rent doubled — and she realized too late that she'd agreed to a month-to-month lease.

Today, she and her five kids are living in their car. 💔

When child support comes in, she stretches it for a few nights in a hotel — just enough for her children to take a "good shower and get a full night's sleep." The rest of the time, they wait. She's on housing waiting lists in three counties.

On top of all this, the family's belongings — everything they have left — were about to be auctioned from a storage unit they could no longer afford. Thanks to YOU, our incredible donors, we were able to cover two months of storage fees. A small thing. A huge thing.

"I have good kids," she told us. "If I could just get even a one-bedroom apartment, we will make it work."

Her story is a reminder that homelessness doesn't always come from long-term struggle. Sometimes it starts with one decision, made fast, in the face of danger. And sometimes, all it takes to interrupt that spiral is a community that shows up.

Because sometimes the most urgent need is also the most basic:

A roof. 🏠

04/28/2026

Imagine choosing between paying rent or picking up your prescription. For too many seniors, that's a real Tuesday. 💔 That's why we're over the moon about the Catherine Kennedy Home Foundation's generous grant, which will help our senior guests cover rent, utilities, medical costs, and car repairs — the essentials that keep life steady. Thank you, CKHF, for showing up for our community in such a meaningful way. 🙌

04/23/2026

A young woman with a 3 year old daughter came in asking for dishes. As we learned her story, we found that she had been homeless for more than two years and was finally getting her first apartment. She had no furnishings at all.

When we heard this, we went to work. We were able to provide her with towels, sheets, new dishes, utensils, glasses, pots, sheets, towels, a small air fryer and a coffee pot. She was overwhelmed with gratitude. While many of us take these things for granted, there is a community that can benefit greatly from a bit of hope.

With the support of our benefactors, we are the link that can help make a person’s life just a bit easier.

04/20/2026

What is the Sister Isaac Center?

We are 130 dedicated volunteers with a desire to make sure no one in our community goes without basic human needs.

With dignity and respect at the forefront of all interactions, families are offered a hand up during their most challenging times.

No other organization in the Wilmington area has the depth and breadth of service that we do. Our 9000+ Sq feet of space houses material goods including clothing, shoes, housewares, food, hygiene items, sheets, towels, medical equipment, children’s toys /games, small appliances, and more.

Our financial assistance includes help with rent, transportation, utilities, medical and dental costs, childcare, education, automotive repair, waste management, and more.

04/06/2026

The Sister Isaac Center re-opens tomorrow, Tuesday April 7th at 9am.

We look forward to seeing you

Address

412 Ann Street
Wilmington, NC
28401

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 11am
Tuesday	9am - 11am
Wednesday	9am - 11am
Thursday	9am - 11am

Telephone

(910) 762-5491 Ext 135

Website

https://www.thesisterisaaccenter.org/

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