Panthers Draft-A-Thon fundraiser, other ways to help around Charlotte during COVID-19
Organizations large and small have detailed ways they’re providing relief to local families in Charlotte and the surrounding area.
The Charlotte Observer has compiled this list, which will be updated, to help you learn how you can help. Philanthropy experts advise people looking to help their community direct monetary donations toward established nonprofit organizations.
For instance, just in time for Thursday night’s kickoff to the NFL draft, Carolina Panthers fans are encouraged to join the team’s effort to raise money for the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs. They can do so during the NFL’s virtual Draft-A-Thon Thursday, April 23, through Saturday, April 25.
Fans can donate at NFL.com/relief. A text-to-donate option is available.
Meanwhile, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools opened about 70 sites across the county to provide breakfast and lunch to students who rely on school for meals. For other forms of relief, a Charlotte-based fundraising effort through the United Way began March 16. The COVID-19 Response Fund will be overseen by the Foundation for the Carolinas.
Here are other ways to help local organizations that are assisting those in need in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. Organizations needing volunteers are encouraged to email jmarusak@charlotteobserver.com to request being added to this list.
Join ex-Panthers’ stars helping people in need amid COVID-19 crisis
Elevation Church and the charitable foundations of former Carolina Panthers stars Steve Smith and Jonathan Stewart are partnering to provide COVID-19 relief supplies to local residents in need.
And you can join the effort by donating online.
Smith’s foundation announced the partnership on Twitter, saying “these supplies will be distributed to those in our underserved communities.”
Supplies will be provided through Convoy of Hope, which has responded to more than 360 international and domestic disasters, including delivering more than 500 tractor-trailer loads of relief supplies in 2017, according to the organization’s website..
“Millions of survivors have been helped thanks to the local churches, businesses, government agencies and other nonprofits, donors and volunteers who make Convoy of Hope’s work possible,” according to a statement on ConvoyofHope.org.
By late Wednesday, 52 donors had contributed $7,000 toward the effort’s $35,000 goal, according to the Convoy of Hope COVID-19 Charlotte Response online donation page.
‘Feeding the front lines’
The Cowfish at SouthPark teamed up with local organizations to feed first responders in Mecklenburg County during the COVID-19 pandemic, including Medic, police and fire departments.
To contribute, visit the GoFundMe page for Feed the Frontline Mecklenburg County or email PR@Medic911.com.
Local restaurants also are delivering “grab and go” meals to health care workers at Novant and Atrium hospitals. Contributors may sign up and pay for food to be delivered to each hospital system’s Huntersville location. Organizers hope to expand the food delivery to other Charlotte-area hospitals soon.
To participate, sign up here.
Frontline Foods Charlotte, meanwhile, has delivered or scheduled 780 meals to hospital workers and first responders within Novant, Atrium and Medic since the chapter formed March 30..
Meals have been purchased from Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen, Nourish Charlotte, Sabor Latin Street Grill, the Common Market, Leah & Louise, 300 East, Sea Level, The Loyalist and Zia Pia, helping the establishments stay in business.
Community Shelter of Union County
The non-profit shelter at 160 Meadow St. in Monroe needs monetary donations to help feed those in need.
The shelter serves three meals a day, 365 days a year for Union residents.
Donations are welcome between 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. daily at the shelter and 24/7 online at unionshelter.org/donate.
Anuvia Prevention and Recovery Center
The Charlotte-based non-profit substance abuse prevention treatment center needs financial donations to help the center buy:
▪ Low-cost smart phones for outpatient clients to access TeleHealth sessions.
▪ Puzzles, games, books, art supplies and new men’s and women’s underwear and socks for residential clients.
Donate at www.Anuvia.org.
Join musical artist Laura Rabell’s effort for those in need
Laura Rabell, a musical artist originally from Charlotte who lives in Nashville, welcomes contributions to a Kickstarter project that will assist local musicians, the homeless, health care workers and others in need.
Rabell launched the project in late February from the Tosco Music Party stage in Charlotte, before the pandemic swept across North Carolina and other states.
She reworked the project to give half of all proceeds back to the community, to those in need.
To donate, and for more details, visit Rabell’s Kickstarter project page at https://www.kickstarter.com.
Volunteers making CDC-compliant masks
Kristen Nardone of Huntersville is forming a group of volunteers to make CDC-compliant face masks that would be given to local hospitals or other treatment centers.
“We need 100% cotton fabric remnants and elastic,” Nardone told the Observer in an email Saturday. “Elastic is most pressing, there is none to be found. Need 1/4 or 1/8”.”
Nardone hopes local craft or sew shops will sell the group the materials at a discount, or donate them.
She cited similar volunteer efforts underway in other states, including for hospitals in Evansville, Ind.
Anyone who’d like to join the group or who has supplies to give can email Nardone at kristensnardone@gmail.com.
Genghis Grill canned food collection
Besides supporting health care workers and first responders, Genghis Grill is partnering with Feeding America to collect canned food and other items for local food banks at their restaurant locations.
Guests can drop off canned food in the boxes set up at the restaurants, including the Charlotte area locations at 11324 N. Community House Road, No. 10 in Ballantyne, and 9727 E. Independence Blvd. in Matthews.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina
The Food Bank on Spratt Street in Charlotte is working with its more than 800 partner agencies in 24 counties, including local school systems, to assess how it can best be of service.
The greatest need is money to buy healthy, shelf-stable items for food boxes, Food Bank officials said. The boxes will help feed families whose children are missing school meals, seniors being asked to stay at home, people who are quarantined and workers impacted by reduced work hours, Food Bank officials said.
“Within the next 30 days, we will be packing tens of thousands of these food boxes,” Food Bank officials posted on the Second Harvest website.
Donate money at SecondHarvestMetrolina.org/coronavirus.
Volunteers also are needed. Register on the volunteer sign-up page at SecondHarvestMetrolina.org.
CMS Foundation
The CMS Foundation, a non-profit that supports Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, has begun fundraising for district students and families affected by the closure of schools because of the novel coronavirus.
The foundation’s new COVID-19 Relief Fund will support critical needs of families and students and extend academic instruction during the closure.
Donate at cms-foundation.org/donate with “Relief” in the notes section of the donation page.
Donations also can be mailed to the CMS Foundation, 4421 Stuart Andrew Blvd., Suite 100, Charlotte, NC 28217.
Anyone with questions can call 980-343-0399 or email info@cms-foundation.org.
Loaves & Fishes
Loaves & Fishes has an immediate need for volunteers to pack emergency food boxes at its Charlotte warehouse, located in Fordham Park at 648 Griffith Road. Various 2-hour volunteer shifts have been added throughout the day.
Register to volunteer at LoavesandFishes.volunteermatrix.com.
Loaves & Fishes also needs donated canned fruit — no sugar added or in juice — as well as canned tuna and canned chicken.
Food donations can be dropped off at the warehouse 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays and at Loves & Fishes food pantries throughout Mecklenburg County. See the list of locations at https://loavesandfishes.org/food-pantries/.
Monetary donations also are welcome on the Loaves & Fishes website or by texting HUNGERACTION to 44321.
“As our community comes together to stop the spread of the COVID 19 virus, we at Loaves & Fishes remain steadfast in our mission to feed our hungry neighbors in need,” leaders posted on the Loaves & Fishes website. “Our staff has been actively working in partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank, Friendship Trays, CMS Nutrition Services and others to meet the hunger needs of those impacted by this crisis.”
Loaves & Fishes provided groceries to 80,200 people last year, 36% of them children.
Learning Help Centers of Charlotte
Learning Help Centers of Charlotte welcomes volunteers to prepare meals at its catering partner facility and/or deliver meals to children who are home-bound.
Individuals, families and corporations are needed to donate food items to the families the organization serves in the South Boulevard corridor.
LHCC also encourages residents to contact the organization if they know of children in low-income apartment communities who are unable to pick up meals at South Boulevard area feeding centers. Email at info@lhcclt.org.
For more details or to donate on the organization’s homepage, visit www.lhcclt.org.
Classroom Central
Classroom Central urgently needs donations of school supply kits through its website, ClassroomCentral.org.
The organization provides school supplies to students and teachers in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and the Gaston County, Iredell-Statesville, Union County, Kannapolis and Lancaster County, S.C., school systems.
CMS is recruiting volunteers through its website to help distribute the kits at its meal distribution sites, Beth Levine Cupp, Classroom Central director of development, told the Observer.
Charlotte Rescue Mission
The mission continues to serve the 269 men, women and children currently living under its roof.
To prevent spread of COVID-19, instead of volunteers going to the mission to serve a meal, mission leaders encourage them to sponsor one.
Instead of customers dining at the mission’s Community Matters Cafe, they are encouraged to order a meal for take out or to purchase a gift card.
Instead of completely isolating mission residents from the community, the mission encourages the community to mail notes of hope and encouragement. Mail the notes to Charlotte Rescue Mission, PO Box 33000, Charlotte, NC 28233-3000.
For more ways to help the mission during the pandemic, visit its How to Help during COVID-19 page at https://charlotterescuemission.org.
Ada Jenkins Center
The not-for-profit organization, which helps people who are in poverty in Davidson, Cornelius and Huntersville, has established a Critical Needs Fund for the families it serves.
“As a result of the spread of the Coronavirus, our families are in need like never before,” center officials posted on AdaJenkins.org. “Many of our client-partners are calling in desperation: they need critical assistance, over and above what the Ada Jenkins Center typically provides.”
Donate at https://www.adajenkins.org/impact/donate/.
Feed NC
Feed NC, formerly known as the Mooresville Soup Kitchen, welcomes volunteers to deliver meals to people who are home-bound.
Individuals, families and offices also are needed to donate specific toiletries for Blessing Bags given to FeedNC guests.
Put one each of these items in a gallon Ziplock bag: disposable razor, toothbrush, full-sized toothpaste, full-sized deodorant, bar of soap, full-sized shampoo, full-sized conditioner, travel-sized bag of tissues; optional personal note of encouragement.
Bags can be dropped off at Feed NC, 275 S. Broad St., Mooresville, and Victory Lanes bowling center, 125 Morlake Drive, Mooresville.
Feed NC also urgently needs non-dairy creamer, sugar, cooking oil, corn starch, rice and all sizes of Ziplock bags.
Items needed to combat flu and viruses include masks and gloves, hand sanitizer, Clorox wipes, bleach, Kleenex/tissues, antibacterial soap and Lysol disinfectant spray.
To volunteer as a driver dropping off groceries to shut-ins, or to volunteer in any other way, sign up at https://www.feednc.org/feednciwanttovolunteer.
Feed NC also encourages residents to contact the organization if they know of people who are home-bound, isolated and in poverty who could use the free meal service.
Details: 704-660-9010; FeedNC.org.
Bags of Hope
The Lake Norman location of the non-profit welcomes volunteers and donations as it distributes food at new drop-off spots, such as churches, for the families it serves.
“We’ve been unbelievably blown away by the amount of support and love shared within 72 hours,” Ashley Nydish, the non-profit’s president, told The Charlotte Observer.
To volunteer or donate, email BagsofHopeLKN@gmail.com.
Community Café
Community Café needs more donations of cash and food as its food truck plans to be on the road more days during the coronavirus crisis, Mary Rasmussen, Community Café assistant to the president, said Tuesday.
The cafe, meanwhile, is serving only to-go meals at its locations to protect volunteers and clients from becoming infected, Rasmussen said.
“We are still open at all locations, and we are considering serving at more neighborhoods, based on the availability of volunteers,” she said in an email. “In order to do that, we need access to more food and more donors. Restaurant Depot’s shelves aren’t exactly full these days, just like your local Harris Teeter.”
Community Café is 100% volunteers and receives no government money.
“Everything goes right back to help those in need,” Rasmussen said. “We rely on corporations and private donors to keep our doors open. Right now we need your help more than ever.”
Donations can be made on the GoFundMe at www.gofundme.com/freemeals.
Friendship Trays
Friendship Trays Meals on Wheels of Charlotte-Mecklenburg is accepting donations of nonperishable food items at its Distribution Street office, as it refocuses deliveries during the pandemic on its most vulnerable recipients.
The donations are needed after health advisories forced Friendship Trays to suspend cooking food in its kitchen, according to FriendshipTrays.org.
“The kitchen layout, while very efficient, puts cooks in too-close quarters,” leaders posted. “We have some meals on hand, and anticipate receiving more frozen meals shortly.”
Together with people donating nonperishable food items, according to the post, “using all these resources and perhaps others, we will find ways to meet the nutrition needs among our most vulnerable recipients.”
Charlotte-Mecklenburg COVID-19 Response Fund
The COVID-19 Response Fund will support nonprofits helping people most affected by the pandemic, according to the fund’s page on the Foundation for the Carolinas website. “Importantly, this fund will help not just help those who get sick but also those who are economically impacted,” according to the site.
The fund was launched March 16 thanks to a $1 million lead gift from LendingTree and a $1 million matching gift from the city of Charlotte. Howard Levine, former chairman/CEO of Family Dollar Stores, and Truist Financial Corp. also each donated $1 million.
Working closely with the city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, grants will be awarded by an advisory group to nonprofits that apply. Applications will be announced soon.
People can donate to the fund online at HelpCharMeck.org. Or by mailing a check to COVID-19 Response Fund, c/o United Way of Central Carolinas/FFTC, P.O. Box 890685, Charlotte, NC 28289-0685.
Corporations and foundations that wish to donate may contact Catherine Warfield, senior vice president of philanthropic advancement at FFTC, at cwarfield@fftc.org; or Clint Hill, chief development officer at United Way of Central Carolinas, at 704-371-6359; chill@uwcentralcarolinas.org.
Noble Food & Pursuits meal effort
Noble Food & Pursuits, the restaurant group behind Rooster’s Wood-Fired Grill, Noble Smoke, Bossy Beulah’s, Copain and The King’s Kitchen, has shifted its focus from “food” to “pursuits” in an increased effort to feed the underserved and homeless in Charlotte amid COVID-19.
The group intends to give high-quality, well-balanced meals to those in need and requires an average $7 per meal to do so. Thanks to King’s Kitchen and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Dream Center, the group is already serving 600 such meals a day but hopes that increased donations will enable serving up to 2,000 meals a day.
Tax-deductible donations, which can be made online, will provide meals to children, teenagers, adults, families and the elderly.
Donate at http://cltdc.org/.
Christian Ministry of Lincoln County
The ministry at 207 S. Poplar St. in Lincolnton is taking food donations as early as 8 a.m. weekdays. Regular hours are 9 a.m.-1 p.m. weekdays.
“Every day brings new challenges,” ministry leaders posted on Facebook. “The longer people are out of work, the more people that will be coming to us for financial help. During the recession of 2008 the community was there for the Ministry, and I know you will be again!”
Financial contributions can be mailed to Christian Ministry of Lincoln County, 207 S. Poplar St., Lincolnton, NC 28092 or donated through its website, ChristianMinistryofLincolnCounty.org.
Prospective volunteers should call Woody Saunders at the ministry office, 704-732-0383.
Nextdoor
The online neighborhood hub announced the launch of a new feature called Help Map, which allows “those in need to easily identify which neighbors have raised a hand to assist with an errand — or just give a call to check in,” according to a Nextdoor news release.
Charlotte Museum of History
Charlotte Museum of History funding “will be critically impacted by this crisis, and we need your financial support while we continue to serve the community during these challenging times,” Adria Focht, president and CEO, said in an email to potential supporters.
The museum has closed to the public and suspended all public and private events until further notice “to support the health and safety of our visitors, staff, and volunteers,” Focht said.
Staff is working with local schools to offer new digital learning tools for students studying remotely, Focht said.
“In the coming days and weeks, we’ll be providing historic context to this pandemic via our digital platforms, to continue to help people understand the world in which we live,” according to Focht.
Staff also continue to preserve Mecklenburg County’s oldest homesite, Focht said.
Donate at CharlotteMuseum.org.
This list will be updated. Check back for more.
This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 8:08 AM with the headline "Panthers Draft-A-Thon fundraiser, other ways to help around Charlotte during COVID-19."