CCM February 2024 Perspective Newsletter
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FEBRUARY <strong>2024</strong><br />
PERSPECTIVE<br />
FROM THE FRONTLINES<br />
CRISIS TO RESTORATION<br />
GETTING AHEAD OF<br />
HUNGER<br />
ED HOSACK<br />
CEO<br />
<strong>CCM</strong>’s Food Program Manager wrote recently “There does not seem [among experts]<br />
to be a recognition that the two areas that are still experiencing inflation - housing<br />
and food, are the areas that impact [most of us] and especially those in poverty. The<br />
rapidly growing number of residents seeking food assistance is simply a symptom of a<br />
much larger crisis - a significant chunk of our population is being left behind. The food<br />
program staff is beginning to brainstorm what changes we are going to have to make<br />
to continue to meet the increasing needs with the<br />
available resources both food and volunteers. We<br />
are just about at capacity for our current model.” It<br />
is almost a certainty; if you leave your house today,<br />
you will come in contact with a life for whom food<br />
insecurity influences every decision.<br />
<strong>CCM</strong> is looking Beyond the Horizon of our current housing initiatives to<br />
address the social determinants of hunger and food insecurity. We are<br />
grateful for food pantry and hunger fighting initiatives across Cabarrus<br />
and Southern Rowan counties and we intend to leverage our platform<br />
in the community to strengthen many of these initiatives. <strong>CCM</strong>’s<br />
acquisition of Brown Mill on Cabarrus Avenue in Concord has given life<br />
to the vision for a Community Bulk Food Warehouse (CBFW).<br />
CONTINUED PAGE 2 »<br />
IN THIS EDITION<br />
Did You Know.....................................3<br />
2025 New Horizon<br />
Strategic Plan Updates.................... 4<br />
Partner Spotlight...............................5<br />
Thank You...........................................5<br />
Upcoming Events.............................. 6
The CBFW will support local charitable food<br />
initiatives with the ability to receive large<br />
donations rather than miss the opportunity<br />
due to facility and space limitations. The new<br />
collaborative will create the ability to receive,<br />
store, and share quantities to better serve our<br />
community.<br />
Prevailing economic trends and a shifting<br />
demographic are escalating needs that will<br />
challenge citizens in every corner of our<br />
community. The development of The Rebuilders<br />
Campus and partnerships at The Dream Center<br />
will establish a strong presence of resources and<br />
services in Concord. As <strong>CCM</strong> prepares for the<br />
end of a forty-year lease at our Crisis Center, we<br />
recognize the need to provide access to services<br />
to vulnerable neighborhoods in northern Cabarrus<br />
and southern Rowan counties.<br />
<strong>CCM</strong> will pursue collaboration with the city of<br />
Kannapolis to locate crisis services and hunger<br />
fighting operations for vulnerable communities.<br />
During <strong>2024</strong>, <strong>CCM</strong> will initiate the design and<br />
planning for the relocation of our Crisis Services<br />
Center and Food Pantry Warehouse operations to<br />
Kannapolis in the next few years.<br />
In recent years, <strong>CCM</strong> has worked with key partners<br />
to address nutritional needs of senior adults,<br />
expectant mothers, and families with young<br />
children and we will continue to develop targeted<br />
solutions for specific vulnerable populations.<br />
Collaboration and innovative co-creation will be<br />
vital strategies to create the infrastructure needed<br />
to meet future demand in our community.<br />
Demand at our local food pantries serves as an early warning signal, although not early<br />
enough. In our community today, vulnerable households will satisfy the landlord first.<br />
The shift to corporate property managers has rendered housing a business. “Nothing<br />
personal, it's just business”. You can lose your housing in an unexpected minute! Utility<br />
bills are often juggled with other payments to keep things going, especially during<br />
winter, but the utility companies are more amenable to catching up with payment<br />
plans. Groceries all too often are the greatest compromise. Dad decides to skip meals,<br />
mom tries to be creative with whatever was reduced due to damage or expiration date.<br />
Charitable foods are too often highly processed. The situation lacks nutritional value and<br />
only fuels food insecurities.
JEREMY BURLESON<br />
CHIEF RELATIONSHIP OFFICER<br />
DID YOU<br />
KNOW?<br />
22% OF CABARRUS COUNTY RESIDENTS ARE FOOD INSECURE!<br />
There are many locations in Cabarrus County and the surrounding<br />
areas that provide both healthy produce and other perishable /<br />
non-perishable foods to the hunger insecure.<br />
Through ideation and support from the Cabarrus County Hunger<br />
Task Force group, a ‘Food Resource Map’ was developed and<br />
recently made available to our community. The map itself, while<br />
housed on the Cooperative Christian Ministry website, features<br />
resources from any and all county partners that provide food relief<br />
in any form.<br />
This community-wide resource is a one-stop informational<br />
platform that identifies where and how an individual might<br />
access food pantries, mobile and/or open market offerings, meal<br />
delivery options, prepared meal possibilities as well as blessing<br />
box locations. For any resident that may face transportation<br />
challenges in getting to or from these resources, there is also a<br />
link within the platform that will help with public or ride transit<br />
opportunities.<br />
WE INVITE<br />
YOU TO<br />
ALONGSIDE<br />
PRAY<br />
ENGAGE<br />
&<br />
WITH <strong>CCM</strong><br />
CLICK to learn how<br />
<strong>CCM</strong> has impacted this<br />
community and how YOU<br />
can be part of sharing<br />
God’s love through<br />
partnership and support.<br />
For our Spanish-speaking population, the site itself also has a<br />
conversion option to Spanish located via a dropdown option at<br />
the top of the screen.<br />
HOW IT WORKS<br />
Click the button, scan<br />
the QR code or visit<br />
cooperativeministry.com/<br />
food-resources.<br />
Select the Food Resources<br />
button that best serves<br />
your need.<br />
Click on a specific location<br />
for details on the nearest<br />
food resources to you.
CLICK TO VIEW<br />
the full Strategic Plan<br />
<strong>CCM</strong>’S STRONG FOOD PROGRAM IS ONLY POSSIBLE THROUGH COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS.<br />
Cabarrus County is distinctive in having a long history of collaboration between non-profits, the faith<br />
community, and government agencies in helping members of the community in need. That legacy of<br />
partnerships continues today, and certainly is evident with the <strong>CCM</strong> Food Program.<br />
Our single most significant partner is the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina (SHFBM) in Charlotte.<br />
About 75% of the food we receive comes directly or indirectly through them. Not only do we receive<br />
the USDA TEFAP food through them (160 tons of food a year!), but they also coordinate all the store<br />
“rescued” food we receive weekly (mostly perishables). Moreover, we are able to purchase bulk food at<br />
wholesale prices through them. They also provide the “backpack” food that we share with several area<br />
schools and all the food distributed through our mobile food pantries.<br />
The families who come to our Food Pantries receive lots of<br />
great fresh-from-the-farm (or garden) produce, because of our<br />
wonderful partnerships with organizations such as The Society<br />
of St. Andrew (SSA-the gleaners), the Lomax Research Farm,<br />
the YMCA’s Share the Harvest Farm, and the community gardens<br />
at Calvary Lutheran Church and Bethpage Presbyterian Church<br />
of Kannapolis. At this time of the year, clients have the option to<br />
receive frozen venison as a result of our partnerships with the<br />
Concord Wildlife Alliance and Farmers & Hunters Feeding the<br />
Hungry.<br />
Other partnerships help us to get food to those in need. About<br />
once or twice a month, we will provide a box of heart-healthy<br />
food for the Community Paramedics to deliver to someone in<br />
need who just got out of the hospital. Last year we piloted a<br />
program of assembling and distributing a box of healthy food<br />
and resources especially for expectant mothers. The Cabarrus<br />
SECOND<br />
HARVEST<br />
OF METROLINA<br />
PROVIDES<br />
<strong>CCM</strong> WITH<br />
OF OUR<br />
FOOD<br />
Health Alliance’s clinics, a couple of Atrium Health OB/GYN clinics, and the Gate Pregnancy Centers<br />
collaborated with us in distributing those boxes to pregnant women identified as being food insecure.<br />
Some partnerships work both ways. We have a relationship with Feeding Kannapolis Hunger (FKH), who<br />
in turn works with the Society of St. Andrew and the Piedmont Research Farm to bring pallets of fresh<br />
eggs into our community to be distributed through our pantries, the FKH bi-monthly food giveaways,<br />
and through other food pantries in our region. At the end of each Friday we share any leftover produce<br />
and bakery items with the food programs at St. James the Greater Catholic Church. They in turn will<br />
share with us a lot of excess non-perishables from their pantry. Also, a volunteer from St. James Catholic<br />
brings us rescued bakery items from Publix. Then we will give him #10 cans of veggies and other<br />
commercial-size food items (too large for our pantry families) to take to the Operation Homeless Soup<br />
Kitchen in Kannapolis.<br />
We are grateful to God for each of these relationships and how they help to get food into the homes<br />
of families in need. We appreciate greatly the collaborative nature of our community, and will continue<br />
working hard in fostering that atmosphere. One of our plans is to establish a Community Bulk Food<br />
Warehouse at the Brown Mill site, to provide a place for various partners to store pallets of food<br />
until needed.<br />
BANK
P ARTNER SPOTLIGHT<br />
The <strong>CCM</strong> Food Program has some amazing partnerships with local food producers, so that we are able<br />
to bless our clients with lots of great fresh-from-the-farm produce, and even some eggs and meat.<br />
In 2023, we received and distributed about 41,000 lbs. of fresh produce and eggs—20.5 tons! Three<br />
quarters of that came through the Society of St. Andrew (SSA)—the gleaners. A partnership between<br />
SSA, <strong>CCM</strong>, All Saints Episcopal Church and Barbee Farms netted us more than 18,000 lbs. of fresh<br />
produce straight from Barbee Farms (not gleaned!). We are so grateful to Brent Barbee and all the great<br />
volunteers at All Saints who transport the donations, making this incredible program possible. Another<br />
partnership between SSA and the Piedmont Research Farm yielded 3,600 lbs. of eggs. Other significant<br />
fresh produce donors include the Lomax Research Farm, the farmers at the Piedmont Farmers Market on<br />
Winecoff Road, the YMCA’s Share the Harvest Farm, and community gardens at Calvary Lutheran Church<br />
and Bethpage Presbyterian Church. Several local gardeners also will drop off their excess harvest. We<br />
very thankful for each of these wonderful partners who make it possible for our clients to receive the<br />
best in nutritious local food. Some of these partners are seeking volunteers.<br />
The Lomax Research Farm (located outside of Concord off of NC-49) needs<br />
families or individuals to serve one day each week, May-October, to harvest and<br />
prep the produce to be delivered to <strong>CCM</strong>. Contact Lorie Williams at lwilliams@<br />
cooperativeministry.com or 704-490-4245.<br />
The YMCA’s Share the Harvest Farm is always seeking volunteers to help<br />
manage and harvest the crops. Email farminfo@rocabymca.org, or contact<br />
Debbie Owens at dowens@rocabymca.org or 704-216-9622.<br />
The Society of St. Andrew welcomes volunteers to help glean local produce<br />
and transport to food pantries. Contact Maria Gandy at gleanclt@endhunger.org.<br />
THANK YOU<br />
<strong>CCM</strong> would like to thank<br />
Cannon School’s Pin Down<br />
Homelessness wrestling<br />
tournament for choosing to<br />
support the mission of <strong>CCM</strong><br />
for this impactful event. We<br />
are truly thankful for your<br />
commitment to making a<br />
difference in the lives of<br />
those in need.<br />
COMMUNITY FOOD DRIVES<br />
• Speedway Harley-Davidson - 122 lbs.<br />
• St. James the Greater Catholic - 362 lbs.<br />
• Elevation Concord - 200 hygiene kits<br />
and 200 snack packs<br />
• Fed-Ex Ground - 200 peanut butter<br />
sandwhiches<br />
<strong>CCM</strong> is grateful to the organizers of the MLK Dream Day Fair for inviting<br />
us to participate in the event. It was an honor to be part of such a<br />
meaningful celebration, and we appreciate the opportunity to engage<br />
with the community.<br />
Additionally, we are thrilled to share that, thanks to the generosity of<br />
event attendees, 277 lbs. of food was collected on that day during the<br />
“Stuff the Bus” food drive for our food pantry!
UPCOMING EVENTS<br />
AVAILABLE NOW<br />
2022-2023<br />
ANNUAL REPORT!<br />
WE CAN SHAPE OUR FUTURE<br />
BUSINESS BREAKFAST<br />
MARCH 19, <strong>2024</strong><br />
City Club at Gibson Mill<br />
Doors open at 7:15 AM<br />
7:30 AM Breakfast, 8:00 AM Program<br />
FEATURE PRESENTATION<br />
BEYOND HORIZONS
EXPERTS IN<br />
HUNGER RELIEF<br />
HELP with<br />
HOUSING<br />
HelpWithHousing.net<br />
SENIOR RESOURCE GUIDE<br />
FOOD<br />
RESOURCES<br />
The NEW ‘Cabarrus County<br />
Food Resource Map’, which<br />
was recently created by the<br />
Hunger Task Force, is available<br />
on our website. Please share<br />
this valuable resource with the<br />
community.<br />
Sign up to round up your monthly City of Concord Utility bill to the nearest dollar<br />
and help keep the air, heat, and lights on for hundreds of families in need.<br />
Visit: https://concordnc.gov/Departments/Customer-Care/<br />
Neighbor-Helping-Neighbor<br />
NEW! <strong>CCM</strong> Career Opportunities<br />
246 Country Club Drive NE, PO Box 1717<br />
Concord, NC 28026 TEL: 704-786-4709<br />
GIVE ONLINE: www.CooperativeMinistry.com or TEXT: ccmhelps to 44321