Iredell COAST’s launch began In 2010. While still in high school, Josh McCrary was longing for his sense of purpose. With his love of music, and alongside his middle school chorus teacher, he planned and held a choral concert with his closest friends for the community. After the initial concert, he created the Iredell Choral Society, a local community choir.

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Throughout the next 9 years, the Iredell Choral Society grew as a choir as well as a community service organization. ICS began hosting pop-up events for the community such as back-to-school drives and concerts, including their annual “Tribute” concert, which was a tribute to the armed forces.

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In 2014, Iredell Choral Society opened their very first resale shop in the heart of downtown Statesville. This store served as funding source for Iredell Choral Society.

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In 2018, Iredell Choral Society held their final concert for the community and was discontinued. After 9 years of service to the community, the commitment from members had decreased to the point there was no longer a choir to perform.

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In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Josh was called to do something else for the community. He formed Iredell Community Outreach Association (Iredell COAST) , a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, in 2020 with the goal of opening another resale store and focusing on community needs.

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In September of 2020, Iredell COAST opened their Resale Store in Forest Heights. They also opened the first community food bank that served the community 7 days a week without an appointment. Within the first year of their tenure, the shopping center sold and COAST was forced to relocate to Sullivan Road. After our 1-year lease expired there, that building sold and COAST relocated to the former Blockbuster on Broad Street.

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Broad Street provided excellent visibility and opportunity for growth. Due to a clause in our lease, that momentum was abruptly hastened when Iredell Health System announced they would be taking over the building for an Urgent Care.

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Iredell COAST was devastated but understood the need for healthcare in the area. During this challenging time, COAST relocated to a tiny space in the same shopping center, long enough to try and find a more permanent home. After several months, and on the cusp of closing the doors altogether, COAST was able to re-negotiate a long-term lease in their original building at Forest Heights.

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It is throughout all of this resilience that Iredell COAST has conquered and grown stronger. The one thing that has remained the same throughout the years is our commitment to serve our community.

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In January 2025, Iredell COAST announced it would no longer offer a food pantry. While many saw this as a failure on COAST’s behalf, we saw it as an opportunity to serve our community in ways that aren’t being done as much. In November of 2025, in light of the government shutdown, Iredell COAST re-opened our food pantry. It will remain open as long as funding allows it to do so.

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Through the Hidden Gem Variety Store, we are able to offer brand new, quality merchandise at prices our community can afford. The current economy is crazy and our community has grown to expect affordable merchandise from COAST.

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COAST continues serving our community through various family-focused events such as character meet and greets, monthly bingo events, and our annual Community Christmas Program, which sponsors hundreds of children with free Christmas gifts.

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In addition, COAST partners with the AARP Foundation through the SCSEP Program, which provides senior adults the opportunity to work with Iredell COAST at no cost to the organization.

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In 2025, Iredell COAST launched the COAST Community Center and introduced weekly bingo to the community. In addition, vendor events, block parties, and other special events take place there regularly. The Community Center is open to the public and is available for use for certain events!

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Iredell COAST, through years or perseverance, adaptation, and commitment continues to serve our wonderful community and plans to do so for the years to come. Your support helps to make this all possible. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns!