About Us
THE NEEDS HAVE EVOLVED OVER THE YEARS. SO HAS FIGS. BUT OUR MODEL REMAINS THE SAME: FIND THE GAPS AND BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER TO FILL THEM.
FILLING THE GAPS SINCE 1982
In the early 1980s, changes to Medicaid left more local families struggling to afford basic necessities. That’s when founders Rev. Lex Mathews and Ward Purrington set out to identify Raleigh’s most pressing, unmet social need. Access to affordable prescription medicine rose to the top.
So, the community got to work.
In 1982, Wake County residents, health care professionals, and churches came together to establish FIGS — Filling in Gaps — so neighbors experiencing financial hardship wouldn’t have to go without essential medications. Christ Church of Raleigh became our founding church, with initial grant support from the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina.
FIGS of Wake County was founded on the principle that no one should have to choose between caring for their health and paying for necessities. Forty years later, this belief still guides our work today.
THE HEART OF OUR ORGANIZATION
OUR MISSION
Fill in gaps for Wake County residents needing help purchasing their medications and medical supplies.
OUR VISION
All Wake County residents have access to affordable health care and medical supplies.
OUR BELIEF
Everyone deserves access to essential medications and basic health supplies, regardless of income or insurance status.
WE DO MORE TOGETHER
FIGS has built our model on collaboration. We work through a network of 10 trusted community partners, combining their expertise and existing services with FIGS funding and resources to connect more Wake County residents with essential medications, medical supplies, and preventive health resources.
This approach reduces barriers for people receiving help, keeps operating costs low, and directs more resources where they can make the greatest difference.
FIGS works with trusted health care partners to make support available at the time of diagnosis, when it can have the greatest impact. Eligible patients can receive assistance before leaving their provider’s office, reducing the additional appointments, paperwork, and travel that can delay access to essential medications.
We also partner with community organizations equipped to address multiple needs in one place. Someone seeking help with housing or food, for example, may also be able to access prescription assistance without navigating another organization or system. When someone applies for assistance through a partner agency, their eligibility for FIGS support is determined as part of the same qualification process.
That’s how we fill in gaps efficiently: by strengthening the network already surrounding our neighbors.
WHAT OUR PARTNERS ARE SAYING
“Being able to have patients track their blood pressures at home improves patient-provider communication, patient self-efficacy and helps keep me practicing evidence-based care.”
— Dr. Netra Thakur, Family Medicine, Alliance Medical Ministry