Everything in Poor No More’s Charlotte pop-up store is free 

It started with giving out leftover food from parties, grew to handing out care packages and now the Poor No More free store is a full-fledged nonprofit hosting two pop-ups a month.

Poor No More was founded three years ago by Jermaine Nakia Lee as a free resource that helps homeless and low-income people in Charlotte. Already it has helped roughly 4,000 individuals and families, Lee said.

Lee began by handing out care packages from an art studio he used to own.

“Quickly we were overwhelmed with the amount of people who were coming by, and we did not have enough gift packages to serve them, so we began to think what else can we do more consistent and programmatic,” Lee said.

Poor No More was formed as a 501(c)(3) in 2019.

The nonprofit hosts monthly events where people can come and shop for nonperishable food, clothes, shoes, furniture, household appliances and more — all for free.

At the height of the pandemic when many other businesses were cutting back or forced to close temporarily, Poor No More doubled down. In addition to the bimonthly free stores, the shop also opened by appointment.

“People were really, really struggling, and it wasn’t just some of the homeless population that we were accustomed to serving,” Lee said. “It was middle class people, working class people who could not make ends meet.”

Free store in Charlotte

Last month, the organization moved out of its old storefront and started offering popups around the city.

At the last popup event on June 26, Poor No More served about 70 families. The next free store will be held from 12-4 p.m., on July 31 at 1025 E. 36th St.

Everything offered in the free store comes from donations. The majority of the group’s donations come from individuals. They also receive many donated items from Belk.

“Every single dollar and every single item that we receive goes back into the hands of our shoppers,” Lee said.

The free store is set up like a regular department store to create a dignified experience for shoppers.

The popups are volunteer-run, and volunteers are trained to serve the shoppers as if they were attendants working at a department store.

“I understand the trauma of poverty, the stain that leaves on an individual,” Lee said.

Lee grew up in Miami. In his preteen years, he said, his mother and stepfather started using crack.

“Our world just crumbled,” he said.

When his mother decided she wanted to leave Miami, Lee followed her to Charlotte where he’s been for about 25 years.

“I just didn’t see a scenario where we moved somewhere where I wasn’t in close proximity to her,” Lee said.

Emergency assistance fund

Poor No More also runs an emergency assistance fund that helps distribute money to people in need, through amounts of $50 to $100.

People receiving Social Security disability or food stamps, senior citizens, veterans and single parents are eligible for the assistance fund.

Information on the fund is available on Poor No More’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.

Poor No More’s mission is to create equity, whether that’s through the fund or the free store. It’s about the basics, Lee said.

“People have to eat, people need to be clothed, people need to have toiletries,” he said.

LGBTQ+ connections

The organization also helps the LGBTQ+ community in Charlotte. It is Black LGBTQ+ owned and operated.

Lee is one of the founders of Charlotte Black Pride and has integrated his advocacy for the LGBT+ community into Poor No More.

Last year, Poor No More started holding exclusive events for Black transgender women. They advertised on Black, LGBTQ+ social media groups.

“I don’t think people have a real grasp at how fast we are losing Black and Latino trans women in our country,” Lee said.

That loss has been felt, especially in the Charlotte community. In April, two transgender women were murdered in Charlotte hotels.

“We are as a community as good as the least in our community, so until trans women are safe in our community, then I don’t feel safe,” Lee said.

Expanding its scope

In the future, Poor No More is looking to grow beyond just offering free stores. Lee said they hope to hold financial empowerment and literacy workshops to help people budget.

The classes will help teach people what to do if, for example, they are willed a property.

“Someone who isn’t used to navigating assets won’t know what to do with that,” Lee said.

The goal of the workshops — slated to begin later this year — are to help build wealth.

For now, the group is focused on finding a home base. All the pop-up event inventory is currently in storage.

“We need a brick and mortar, we need a building,” Lee said.

The group is also preparing for the end of the COVID-19 eviction ban, which protected many families from becoming homeless during the pandemic.

The Observer, along with the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative, reported last month nearly “250,000 North Carolinians are behind on their rent,” based on Census information. Organizations that assist Charlotte residents with rent and utility bills say they’re expecting needs to soar as courts restart eviction proceedings.

“We’re going to need every dollar because there’s going to be mass homelessness, and it’s going to be families,” Lee said.

How to help, donate

Donate: Donations of non-perishable foods, furniture, cleaning supplies, cooking tools, toys, toiletries, new clothes, gift cards and electronics are accepted.

Volunteer: Poor No More’s Guardians (find them on Facebook) are the free store’s volunteers who help run the pop-up events.

Contact: Text 980-309-1318 to arrange donation drop-offs and ask about volunteering.