Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation recently received a pledge for over $684,000 from the board of directors of Stanton Hospitality House. This donation will establish the Margaret Stanton Hospitality House Endowment, ensuring long-term support for families in need of a place to stay while their loved ones receive care at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center.

For over thirty years, Stanton Hospitality House on Roxie Avenue offered compassionate, affordable accommodations to families of hospitalized patients. Although the house closed in August 2024 due to the building’s age, financial constraints and feasibility concerns around rebuilding, the organization’s mission will persevere through this endowment, managed by the foundation.

The endowment preserves the principal investment while using its proceeds to provide lodging assistance at nearby motels, short-term rentals and other accommodations. Some of the families experiencing financial hardship who will benefit from this support include, parents with infants in the neonatal intensive care unit and out-of-town family members.

Margaret Stanton was a member of Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation Board of Directors and founded Stanton Hospitality House in 1991.

“Her passion was providing care for those less fortunate, and that included those who had a loved one hospitalized,” said Vice President of Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation Sabrina Brooks in a press release. “The Foundation is grateful to Stanton Hospitality House Board of Directors for entrusting us with these assets and our desire is to continue to honor Margaret’s legacy through this gift.”

The endowment will assist families with limited resources to have a safe place to stay close to the Medical Center, when their loved one is hospitalized. This gives loved ones a chance to comfort the patient while they heal and recover without the stress of paying for lodging.

William “Bill” Hedgepeth, President of Stanton Hospitality House Board of Directors, added in a press release, “Through generous gifts from Mrs. Stanton, Cape Fear Valley Health and donors, Mrs. Stanton’s legacy of providing temporary housing for loved ones of those hospitalized will continue. I am thankful to the Stanton House Board of Directors for their hard work the past few months to insure Mrs. Stanton’s legacy lives on.