News & Events

KERNERSVILLE, N.C. (March 3, 2026) On Friday, April 17, Crisis Control Ministry will host a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house for recently completed renovations to our Kernersville office, 431 W. Bodenhamer Street. The celebration will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., with the ribbon cutting and remarks beginning at 3 p.m.

Crisis Control Ministry initially opened a satellite office in Kernersville in 1977. Just three years later, the ministry outgrew that location and moved into the Pinnix Drug building in downtown Kernersville. In 1991, the ministry moved to its current location on West Bodenhamer. After sharing the building with The Shepherd’s Center of Kernersville for 30 years. Crisis Control Ministry began occupying the entire building in 2021 to better serve the community.

To better respond to the needs of our neighbors, in 2025 the ministry began to expand again. Renovations to the building were made possible by a private donor who believes in the mission of Crisis Control Ministry, and the work we do every day to uplift our neighbors in need.

“We are fortunate to be a part of a loving community that has always made a way when we have a need,” said Margaret Elliott, executive director of Crisis Control Ministry. “We really could not do the work we do without the support of individual donors.”

While giving our staff and volunteers more office space, renovations will also increase the amount of warehouse storage and the space in our client-choice food pantry.

Our client-choice food pantry offers clients a more dignified experience by allowing them to shop for the food they take home. Since 2020, the Kernersville office has taken orders over the phone and packed boxes for clients to take. The renovations will allow clients to once again shop in the pantry.

“The expanded food pantry will allow us to meet growing community needs while treating every person who walks through our doors with respect and compassion,” said Kathy Hoffner, director of the Kernersville Office.

The Board of Directors of Crisis Control Ministry, one of the largest nonprofit emergency assistance providers in the area, has launched a search for a new executive director. This comes after longtime Executive Director Margaret Elliott announced her plans to retire later this year. Elliott has led the organization since 1999, and her last day with Crisis Control Ministry will be June 1.

“Margaret’s impact on Crisis Control Ministry has led to the expansion of the organization in its operations and reach within the community,” said Kimberly Bostic, Chair of Crisis Control Ministry’s Board of Directors. “She has led new ways of thinking to best serve the clients, staff, and volunteers; leading by example to get work done.”

When discussing the future of Crisis Control Ministry, Bostic said she is confident that Elliott is leaving the organization in a good place. “Margaret has worked with her team to develop a cohesive group by facilitating open communication and fostering an environment of caring, and that impact has carried over to the board,” Bostic continued.

“Margaret’s efforts have not only strengthened teamwork among us all but also resulted in improved efficiency and a smoother continuation of the Ministry’s operations.”

Founded in 1973, Crisis Control Ministry provides short-term emergency assistance for residents of Forsyth and Stokes Counties. The mission of Crisis Control Ministry is to assist people in crisis to meet essential life needs and to empower them toward greater stability and well-being. Crisis Control provides rent and mortgage payments, utility bill assistance, food, and prescription medications to assist neighbors in crisis.

The executive director reports to the Board of Directors and is responsible for the overall leadership and direction of the organization, including supervising staff, ensuring effective operations, and governance, and spearheading community engagement. The position also partners closely with board leadership to implement strategic priorities, strengthen programs, and steward organizational resources.

The Board of Directors and a special search committee is working with CapDev, which specializes in nonprofit consulting and search services, to identify candidates who can advance the mission of Crisis Control Ministry and continue to grow the organization’s reach and support.

“I am honored to lead a dedicated committee whose members actively interact with Crisis Control Ministry in various ways, and who care immensely about the organization’s mission and the efforts to ensure it is supported and thrives,” Bostic said. “We are working with CapDev, a firm whose focus is to help make nonprofits better, and they are striving to ensure our search committee’s concerns and expectations for the next executive director are understood and to guide us through this most important process.”

A full position description and application instructions can be reviewed at www.capdev.com. Additional inquires may be directed to search@capdev.com.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (January 30, 2026) It is with a mix of sincere gratitude and bittersweet sentiments that Crisis Control Ministry announces the retirement of longtime Executive Director Margaret Elliott. Her last day with Crisis Control Ministry will be June 1, 2026.

A native of Lynchburg, VA, Elliott graduated with a bachelor’s degree in politics from St. Andrews Presbyterian College. She went on to earn her master’s degree in public affairs from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Following a short move back to Virginia, Elliott returned to North Carolina in 1999 to assume the position of Executive Director of Crisis Control Ministry.

For the past 26 years, Elliott has strived to ensure Crisis Control Ministry lives up to its mission, of assisting people in crisis to meet essential life needs and empowering them toward greater stability and well-being. Under her leadership Crisis Control Ministry was awarded the Joel A. & Claudette B. Weston Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management and the Nonprofit Sector Stewardship Award, which is awarded annually by the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits.

During her tenure Elliott also implemented the Wee Care! Cereal Drive, started Food Day at the Fair in collaboration with the Carolina Classic Fair, led the way to open Forsyth County’s first Client Choice Food Pantry, brought Poverty Simulation to the county to educate the community, and expanded services to include Stokes County. In 2020, while many nonprofits and businesses were closing their doors due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Elliott, staff, and a team of dedicated volunteers, implemented phone interviews and curb-side service for Crisis Control’s pantry and pharmacy.

In addition to her commitment to Crisis Control Ministry, Elliott still finds time to volunteer and serve on several different boards in the community. She has served on the Improving Population Health Action Community Advisory Board for Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, as a board member for Leadership America, and on the Advisory Committee for the North Carolina Association of Free Clinics. She's also a 1996 graduate of Leadership Winston-Salem.

Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors for the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina, the Executive Committee for the Healthy Forsyth Coalition, the Advocacy Committee for the Asset Building Coalition, and the Cancer Center Community Advisory Board (for Atrium Health). Elliott is also an ordained ruling elder with the Presbyterian Church (USA).

As we move closer to her retirement date, the board of directors and staff of Crisis Control Ministry will be sharing more information on plans to celebrate Elliott and her years of dedicated service to the community.