First Fruit Ministries

Homeless and Human Trafficking Support Servicesfirstfruitministries.org

First Fruit Ministries is a Wilmington, NC-based nonprofit founded in 1998 that delivers shelter, food, medical care, and supportive housing to unhoused individuals and human trafficking survivors in New Hanover County. It operates the oldest and largest food pantry in the county and runs specialized residential programs for trafficking survivors.

Company typePrivate
Founded1998
HeadquartersWilmington, United States
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What First Fruit Ministries does

First Fruit Ministries is a Wilmington, North Carolina-based nonprofit religious organization founded in 1998 by Rick Stoker. The organization provides an integrated continuum of care for three primary beneficiary groups: unhoused individuals, survivors of human trafficking, and food-insecure households in New Hanover County. Its service portfolio includes the Day Shelter (showers, laundry, hot meals, haircuts, clothing, and free medical care), the Food Pantry (described as the oldest and largest in New Hanover County, serving 2,626 households with no visit frequency limits), the 5.11 House (one-year supportive housing for trafficking survivors), the Guest House (14-day crisis shelter), and a Permanent Housing Program accessed through the Coordinated Entry system. A medical care partnership with MedNorth Health Center delivers on-campus primary care, and street outreach and transportation services extend reach beyond the 2750 Vance St campus.

The organization operates on a donation-based revenue model with no proprietary technology platform. Core technology consists of standard nonprofit SaaS integrations: VolunteerHub for volunteer management, qgiv for donation processing, Amazon Wish List for in-kind giving, WhatsApp for 24/7 emergency access, and RBC Wealth Management for stock gift processing. The core technology infrastructure is described as having "no proprietary technology systems identified." Operating headcount is 11-50 paid employees supported by 1,000+ active volunteers who contributed 21,090 hours annually.

Funding flows from individual donations (including a recurring monthly "Way maker" program), three-tiered corporate and church sponsorships (Gold/Silver/Bronze), in-kind goods and stock gifts, and ad hoc grants (one $2,500 Food Lion grant recorded on 2024-11-20). All services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries. Annual impact metrics reported include 908 unhoused individuals served, 21,966 total shelter nights, 2,496 shelter nights for trafficking survivors, 2,626 food pantry households, and 21,090 volunteer hours. The organization is founder-led, privately held as a religious nonprofit, and domiciled in North Carolina, USA, with operations confined to the Wilmington metropolitan area.

First Fruit Ministries firmographics

Firmographics

Name: First Fruit Ministries
Legal name: First Fruit Ministries
Website: https://firstfruitministries.org
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1998
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: First Fruit Ministries is a Wilmington, NC-based nonprofit founded in 1998 that delivers shelter, food, medical care, and supportive housing to unhoused individuals and human trafficking survivors in New Hanover County. It operates the oldest and largest food pantry in the county and runs specialized residential programs for trafficking survivors.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

First Fruit Ministries industry classification

Industry

Product category: Homeless and Human Trafficking Support Services
NAICS: Community Housing Services (62422), Temporary Shelters (624221), Community Food Services (624210), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)
SIC: Services-Social Services (8300)
akta.pro primary industry: Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)
akta.pro secondary industries: Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA), Emergency Shelter, Camp Management & Non-Food Items (NFI) (BPAGAAAC)

Keywords

Homeless shelter services
Human trafficking support
Food pantry assistance
Supportive housing programs
Nonprofit social services

Where First Fruit Ministries is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Wilmington
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

First Fruit Ministries business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters. Monthly giving program called 'Way maker' provides consistent financial stability for operations.
Corporate/Organization Sponsorships: Premier Partnerships and Event Sponsorships from mission-minded businesses, churches, and organizations. Three-tier sponsorship levels: Gold, Silver, Bronze.
In-Kind Donations: Accepts essential items through Amazon Wish List and physical donations of goods dropped off at the facility.
Stock Gifts: In-kind stock donations processed through RBC Wealth Management.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

First Fruit Ministries product offering

Product offering

Core offering

First Fruit Ministries operates a comprehensive social services campus in Wilmington, NC, delivering free emergency shelter, food assistance, supportive housing, and case management to unhoused individuals and survivors of human trafficking. Core programs include a Day Shelter (showers, laundry, meals, medical care), the oldest and largest Food Pantry in New Hanover County, a one-year supportive housing program (5.11 House), a 14-day crisis shelter (Guest House), Permanent Housing navigation, and on-campus primary medical care through a MedNorth partnership. All services are provided at no cost to beneficiaries, funded entirely through donations, sponsorships, and grants.

Product overview

First Fruit Ministries operates as a unified social services organization offering an integrated continuum of care centered on homeless support and human trafficking intervention. The organization combines emergency shelter (Day Shelter, Guest House crisis shelter), supportive housing (5.11 House one-year program, Permanent Housing), food security (Food Pantry), and health services (MedNorth medical partnership). The Day Shelter and Food Pantry serve as front-line access points, while the 5.11 House and Guest House provide specialized residential programs for trafficking survivors. All services are connected through case management, outreach programs, and the Coordinated Entry system for housing navigation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Day Shelter
Food Pantry
5.11 House
Guest House
Permanent Housing Program
Outreach Services
Medical Care Partnership (MedNorth)
Coordinated Entry System

Quantifiable outcome

Over 2,000 households served weekly at the Food Pantry
+3 more outcomes

Companies that use First Fruit Ministries

Customer profile

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

First Fruit Ministries technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

First Fruit Ministries partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, gold, silver and bronze.

MedNorthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with MedNorth provides primary care services on campus at First Fruit Ministries. Services include wound and diabetic care, substance use treatment, prescription medication assistance, HIV/Hepatitis C testing, hypertension monitoring, and mental health screenings. Clinic available for walk-ins on Thursdays and by appointment Monday-Friday.
Perrysemporium.comgoldGTM or Marketing PartnerGold-tier corporate sponsor of First Fruit Ministries.
Cape Fear InsurancesilverGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver-tier corporate sponsor of First Fruit Ministries.
CaptrustsilverGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver-tier corporate sponsor of First Fruit Ministries.
NCFBins SouthportbronzeGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze-tier corporate sponsor of First Fruit Ministries.
Luminare Resort Wrightsville BeachcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporter of First Fruit Ministries.
Food Bank of Central and Eastern North CarolinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporter and food bank partner providing food assistance resources.
Pine Valley Urgent CarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare supporter of First Fruit Ministries.
Global River ChurchcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerChurch partner and supporter of First Fruit Ministries.
Cape Christian ChurchcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerChurch partner and supporter of First Fruit Ministries.
The Clean Machine GroupcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporter of First Fruit Ministries.
Home Depot of Monkey JunctioncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRetail supporter providing supplies for First Fruit Ministries.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

First Fruit Ministries competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Others

National Human Trafficking Hotline: Nationwide referral and crisis line operated by Polaris; functions as a feeder source of trafficking survivors into specialized programs like FFM's 5.11 House / Guest House and is therefore ecosystem-adjacent rather than a direct competitor.
United Way of the Cape Fear Area: Federated funding intermediary for the Wilmington region; FFM is plausibly a downstream recipient/partners within United Way's ecosystem, and they share the same donor base in New Hanover County.

Direct peers

Salvation Army of Wilmington: Operates emergency shelter, food assistance, and case management services in the same Wilmington, NC market, directly overlapping with FFM's core service mix of homeless shelter and food pantry programs.
Coastal Horizons Center: Wilmington-based nonprofit providing substance use treatment, mental health services, and victim assistance—including trafficking survivor support—overlapping directly with FFM's case management and behavioral health functions.
Goodwill Industries of Eastern NC: Regional nonprofit providing social services including housing support, job training, and case management to vulnerable populations in eastern North Carolina—comparable mission and beneficiary base to First Fruit Ministries.
Urban Ministries Center of Wilmington: Wilmington-based nonprofit offering shelter, food, clothing, and support services to homeless and low-income individuals—closest geographic peer operating a day shelter and food pantry model similar to FFM.

Emerging players

Restore NYC: New York-based nonprofit providing housing, case management, and survivor support for sex trafficking survivors—directly comparable in trafficking-survivor housing specialization though operating in a different metro.
Thistle Farms: Nashville-based nonprofit operating a two-year residential program and social enterprise for women survivors of trafficking, addiction, and exploitation—comparable in specialized residential model for survivors to FFM's 5.11 House.

Broad incumbents

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh: Large regional nonprofit operating emergency assistance, housing programs, and food pantries across North Carolina with institutionalized funding and broader scale than FFM—represents the dominant incumbent model in FFM's category.
Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina: Major regional food bank partner of FFM that aggregates food distribution at scale; comparable in that both operate food assistance infrastructure for food-insecure households in the same geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

First Fruit Ministries financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

First Fruit Ministries leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

First Fruit Ministries funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

First Fruit Ministries M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about First Fruit Ministries

What does First Fruit Ministries do?

Is First Fruit Ministries a public or private company?

First Fruit Ministries is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was First Fruit Ministries founded?

First Fruit Ministries was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is First Fruit Ministries based?

First Fruit Ministries is headquartered in Wilmington, United States, in the North America region.

How does First Fruit Ministries make money?

Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate/Organization Sponsorships, in-Kind Donations and stock Gifts.

Who are First Fruit Ministries's main competitors?

Others on record are National Human Trafficking Hotline and United Way of the Cape Fear Area. Direct peers are Salvation Army of Wilmington, Coastal Horizons Center, Goodwill Industries of Eastern NC and Urban Ministries Center of Wilmington. Emerging players are Restore NYC and Thistle Farms. Broad incumbents are Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh and Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina.

Does First Fruit Ministries have an API?

No public API is recorded for First Fruit Ministries.

What industry is First Fruit Ministries in?

First Fruit Ministries's product category is Homeless and Human Trafficking Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAEAB, Housing Assistance & Homeless Services, with a secondary code of BPAGAEAA, Food Assistance & Food Banks. Its NAICS code is 62422 and its SIC code is 8300.