ASHEBORO N.C. (ACME NEWS) — Friday, don’t miss your chance to get a smoked chicken plate and help keep the lights on at one of Randolph County’s most critical social services agencies.
The Randolph Family Crisis Center is holding its ‘Cluckin’ for a Cause’ fundraiser (formally known as Port-a-Pit) Friday, March 13, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Central Church (300 S Main St) in Asheboro. Plates are $15 each and include smoked chicken, slaw, baked beans, a roll, and a desert, with deserts provided by Vintage Church. Free delivery is available on orders of 15 plates or more.
The fundraiser comes at a critical moment for the agency, which serves survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse across of Randolph County.
According to Nikki Jenkins, executive director of the agency, the center has lost more than $600,000 in federal grant funding over the past year — from both direct cuts and lost competitive grants across several programs, including the Governor’s Crime Commission, the Violence Against Women Act, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, and state pass-through agencies.
Domestic violence organizations across the country have faced mounting federal funding pressure. In 2024, federal Victims of Crime Act funding for North Carolina dropped more than 42%, part of what the N.C. Department of Public Safety describes as a six-year downward trend that “serves as a wake-up call for crime victims’ rights advocates.”
At around the same time federal grant freezes the Trump administration issued in January 2025 cut more than $800 million from Justice Department programs supporting domestic violence services nationwide.
The cuts have hit the organization hard. Historically, 85% of the center’s budget has come from federal dollars — money it uses to shelter domestic violence victims, conduct forensic exams and interviews, and fund counseling for children who have experienced sexual abuse.
On top of the financial pressure of losing a large chunk of its budget, Executive Director Nikki Jenkins told the Randolph County board of Commissioners earlier this month that demand for their services has surged —up 78% for advocacy services, 60% in emergency shelter, and 58% in children seen at Emmy’s House, the child advocacy center.
Facing a budget crisis and surging demand, the agency cut nearly $500,000 from their operating budget, consolidating offices and ramping up community fundraising. In Dec, a community awareness campaign raised more than $100,000. So far, the agency has been able to avoid cutting any services.
Earlier this month, the Randolph County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the early release of $75,000 in funding to help the agency close out its fiscal year. Those funds were already appropriated for the agency, but were typically awarded in Aug of each year. The agency says they will also be requesting funding from other municipalities in the county.
“We’re in full swing fundraising mode trying to do everything we can to help get us through the end of this fiscal year,” said Andrea Aselton, vice-chair of the agency’s board of directors at the commissioners meeting earlier this month. “Every bite supports our mission to end abuse and promote healthy families in our community.”
The agency has more events planned for the remainder of the year as they turn more to the community to make up for less in federal funding.
###
