Pantry Pounding

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It used to be that after couples got married, there was a good old-fashioned pantry pounding to help fill the pantry.

"People would bring a pound of sugar, a pound of flour, all the essentials, so that when they got ready to start their life that was taken of care for them," said Lynn Swisshelm, who works with the Charlotte Rescue Mission. Full Story & Video on WCNC

Help us stock our pantry this summer as we prepare for the busy Fall & Winter months! Also see the story on:

MSNBC

Charlotte Center City Partners

Volunteers Serve Easter at the Mission

From WSOC:

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Volunteers spent Easter morning in the kitchen, cooking up breakfast at the Charlotte Rescue Mission.

The agency is holding an all-day Easter Extravaganza for the community.

The event kicked off at 6 a.m. Sunday with breakfast at the agency’s building located on the corner of Cedar Street and West First Street.

See the rest of the article and video here. News 14 also had a video and story which can be found here.

Baking Instead of Bullying

Over 120 students and staff members of University Park Elementary school contributed to our Thanksgiving day feast by baking about 200 dessert items as a part of "Bullying Prevention Week". Charlotte Observer has the story:

“Our staff decided that we would observe Bullying Prevention Week by teaching students how they should treat others,” said Carrie Sargent, school psychologist at University Park, a performing arts magnet school off Beatties Ford Road in northwest Charlotte.

Read the whole story here.

Volunteers Serve on Thanksgiving Day

News 14 Carolina published the following story regarding the volunteer servers on Thanksgiving day:

CHARLOTTE – Although the Charlotte Rescue Mission has been serving meals for the past 70 years, volunteers pulled out all the stops Thursday for a special Thanksgiving.

About 30 employees from the Dilworth Neighborhood Grille worked in the kitchen cooking and in the dining room serving.

"We're actually bringing tableside service so people can have the opportunity to order eggs however they want and actually pick off a small menu," Chris Alves, of the Dilworth Neighborhood Grille, said.

Read the whole article here.

Cold Weather Affecting Local Shelters

The Charlotte Observer posted this story today on the recent cold weather and its effect on local homeless shelters.

Officials opened the Emergency Winter Shelter near uptown in October – a month earlier than previous years – to help homeless men escape the cold.

One night earlier this week, the shelter served more than 300 meals – the largest number ever on a non-holiday.

The average number of meals served at the shelter has jumped to 225 a night from 165 two years ago, said Tony Marciano, executive director of the Charlotte Rescue Mission, which provides for the shelter.

If you include the meals at Rebound & Dove's Nest, the number we served was actually over 700 meals that day.

We Need Turkey & Ham For Thanksgiving

On Thanksgiving day, our doors will open to hundreds of homeless and destitute men and women who have nowhere else to celebrate this holiday. They won't stand in line to receive a bowl of soup though - they'll be seated by a volunteer maitre d' at a table covered with white linen and folded napkins. They'll be served by volunteers who'll bring them a warm plate of food, a cold drink and a home made dessert. Maybe for the first time in their life, they'll feel like a VIP guest.

Here's where we need your help... Our low meal cost of just $1.92 is made possible by volunteers and donated food. We plan to cook 120 turkeys and 80 hams for Thanksgiving day alone! Please consider donating a full turkey or ham for our Thanksgiving dinner anytime between now and November 21st. These can be dropped off at our main location at 907 West First St.

Rising Food Costs

Unless you've lived in a cave for the last several years, you've noticed that food prices have been steadily increasing. At Charlotte Rescue Mission, we have a lot of our food donated but since we serve about 450 meals a day (even during the Summer), we have to purchase a significant amount as well.

For several years now, we have been known for our $1.79 meal price thanks to donated food and volunteer kitchen help. However, due to rising food costs, our average meal price has increased to about $1.92. If you receive communication from us from here on out, it will reflect this new amount.

$1.92 is still an incredibly low price considering the quality of what is served. $1.92 doesn't just buy some dry rice & beans. When we say "meal", we mean a hot, balanced meal served with a drink and usually a dessert or pastry. Interested in serving a meal? Contact Andria Tindall to find out more about volunteer opportunities.