Two small, bright turquoise doors add personality and color to the otherwise plain brick building on East Main Street in Pittsboro. The storefront of the New Start Resource Center may look tiny but on the inside there’s a few large rooms, some resources, and a lot of hope.
Director Miranda Collins’ idea for the resource center started to become a reality about a year ago and the physical building was opened this past January. The organization has worked to get a lot of projects going but is still trying to get their name and mission out into the community.
“We’re a non-profit organization,” Collins said. “We help bring in resources, whether it’s county, statewide, or on out. We can work our way out.”
The front of the building looks deceivingly small. Stepping inside, the rooms are large with tall ceilings and open space. Collin’s office has a board filled with ideas scribbled all over it in black and red ink.
Coffee is brewed in the kitchen, a couple of computers rest at a desk waiting to be used, and toys fill the activity room. Further down the hallway, there are rooms filled with clothes and other donated items eagerly waiting to be used.
Within the six months of being opened, the center has dabbled in a little bit of everything. They’ve helped displaced families with their safe haven project, began a clothing closet, made more than 300 hygiene bags to give to those in need, have taught computer learning classes, and more.
Collins said they hope to continue doing such projects but right now becoming more stable and well-known in the community is the biggest goal.
To do so, the organization is hosting its inaugural county meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Multi-Purpose Building.
“The meeting is for county members that don’t really know about us,” Collins said.
The meeting will began with an introduction explaining what the resource center does as an organization and then the floor will be open for discussion. Collins said community members are encouraged to express their comments and concerns at the event or alternatively fill out a form.
Donations toward any ongoing projects will also be accepted at the event.
“If someone has an idea or a complaint about anything in the county, I’m not saying I can fix it but I can look into it,” Collins said. She said government funding limits what the county system is able to do but the New Start Resource Center can bring in other grants and monies to the community.
Collins said one of the best parts of this center in particular is it can be utilized by everyone in the community.
“It’s for all ages, newborn all the way up to 102,” Collins said. The center wants to start reaching out to the older age groups more.
Collins said all of the organizations in the community are great but the New Start Resource Center is more geared toward providing the resources “to help get people back on their feet” and other programs as well.