CCM May 2024 Perspective Newsletter

MAY 2024
PERSPECTIVE
FROM THE FRONTLINES
CELEBRATING OUR 42ND YEAR OF RESTORING HOPE
A MOTHER'S HEART
ED HOSACK
CEO
A mother cannot hear what you are saying over the sound of her child's stomach
growling. Meeting people “where they are” recognizes both their physical location and
an emotional spiritual condition.
In Cabarrus County today, we have a growing number of families in crisis, families with
children. In February, CCM’s food pantries served 44% more in need of food assistance
than in February 2023. The increase of 44% more
households represented 55% more people, meaning
larger families. Requests for food assistance are
typically an early indicator there is stress on the
household to maintain other priorities.
Food, financial and housing indicators are all displaying a growing need
in our community, but we make a mistake if our focus on hunger is on
the statistics (pounds of food or number of meals). Our understanding
of hunger should come through the eyes of the mother. For too
many mothers, the face of hunger in Cabarrus County is the face
of her children.
Our experience is 65% of those households are single moms. Whether
in a third world culture, cities torn by violence, or the classrooms of
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IN THIS EDITION
What's Cabarrus County's
Point-In-Time Count?.......................3
2025 New Horizon
Strategic Plan Updates.................... 4
Partner Spotlight...............................5
Thank You...........................................5
Upcoming Events.............................. 6

Cabarrus county, mothers feel the weight in the
heart of a child who has experienced hunger. She
worries for the mind of a child that wonders how
or if the next meal will come. (That is not a burden
intended for a child). She knows the fear that goes
with food insecurity fuels emotions of doubt in
the self-worth of a developing mind (and many
other negative emotions). A mother understands
the value of good nutrition during the birth-tofive
years of cognitive development. She carries
inside the burden as she imagines days of scarcity
eroding decades of potential for her child.
We as a community must recognize how quickly
days become decades. Our six-year-olds will
be driving in ten years, our third graders will be
voting and our high schoolers will be parents -
facing the same challenges. For the single mom,
the days are long, but the years go fast.
We have the ability to make a profound difference
in the life of a child or the dignity of a senior trying
desperately to stay in their home.
Building a future for our children – and therefore
our community, and caring for seniors living alone,
starts with stabilizing our families and ensuring
access to nutrition. No single organization can
carry the burden of feeding families who are
struggling, but we can come alongside them and
supplement their efforts. You give a mom the
basics with which to work and she will feed her
children or grandchildren.
We come to the place where we recognize that we
can provide food and housing, but only God can
calm and heal the fear rooted in crisis. Creating
access and building trust opens a door for a
relationship that can change the future.
We had a great time with
Ferguson Hayes Hawkins,
PLLC on site at MAC to
teach us about wills
and allow our residents (not all who
attended are pictured here) to fill
out worksheets that will be used
to create their legal documents.
Attorney Gabrielle Parish (first from
left) and legal assistant Natasha
Smith (second from left) gave
graciously of their time Tuesday
evening as they joined us for dinner,
shared a presentation, and patiently
answered questions to ensure our residents understood their choices and options related to
last wills and testaments. All residents of the CCM Housing program will have an opportunity to
complete a worksheet and take advantage of this opportunity. This is such a needed service for
single mothers, and we are beyond grateful for local professionals and businesses such as Ferguson
Hayes Hawkins, PLLC who volunteer their time and use their gifts to serve our community.

JEREMY BURLESON
CHIEF RELATIONSHIP OFFICER
WHAT IS CABARRUS COUNTY'S
POINT-IN-TIME COUNT?
The Cabarrus County Point-in-Time (PIT) Count is
conducted annually as part of a nationwide count
of homeless individuals. The PIT count informs the
Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) of trends in homelessness across the
country. The North Carolina event is managed by
the North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness
(NCCEH) according to the rules and definitions
established by HUD.
The annual count, conducted on the last
Wednesday of January, undertakes to report
a census of all persons residing in emergency
shelter and transitional housing environments on
that night and to capture a snapshot of persons
who are unsheltered within a community on that
same night. While it is unreasonable to assume a
community will identify and visit every unsheltered
individual on a given night, the presumption is that
replicating a consistent approach or strategy
year after year, will produce a “point in time”
comparison and yield a representation of the
state of homelessness in a community. While
not a perfect model, consistency of methods
and conditions has yielded a reasonable
representation in many communities.
On January 31, 2024, twelve (12) local
agencies participated to report the number
of sheltered individuals in their programs.
An additional cohort of dedicated people
endeavored to make contact, interview, and
record information on those who were sleeping
in tents, cars, buildings, or other places not
intended for human habitation. Additionally,
our school systems shared valuable information
regarding families with children, who are living
in hotels.
Records of homeless students in our school
systems are considered locally as the
strongest indicator of what is happening in
the community. These numbers are often not
included in the PIT count due to the narrow
definitions and guidelines for inclusion. After
excluding the significant numbers represented by
students and their families, we compare the count
of homeless individuals from year to year. These
measures are not an indication of the magnitude
of homelessness in the community, rather they
are an indication of trends among the homeless
populations.
When comparing the number of sheltered
individuals from 2023 and 2024 without including
the numbers reported by the school systems, the
totals are 141 in 2023 vs. 144 in 2024. Our shelter
and housing facilities for the homeless remain at
high capacity as our homeless population TREND
reflects a slight increase and a significant increase
in the percentage of children.
After all 2024 PIT count data was
collected, here are FOUR KEY
OBSERVATIONS.
The year-over-year comparison of homeless
individuals decreased slightly from the number
of homeless individuals in 2023. The change
in the number of households from 2023 to
2024 is primarily reflected in the decrease of
unsheltered individuals.
The 2024 Count identified 80 unsheltered
individuals, but was only able to report 50
individuals due to reporting parameters.
Our local shelter and housing capacity has been
in transition as The Salvation Army’s Emergency
Night Shelter and CCM’s transitional housing
program are in the process of developing and
opening new facilities.
The ratio of persons per household increased
from 1.38 to 1.53 persons per household.

CLICK TO VIEW
the full Strategic Plan
Seven years ago I had a meeting with Ed Hosack that forever changed the trajectory of Elder Orphan
Care (EOC), and perhaps that of CCM in some way.
EOC had been serving alongside pastors in Romania who care for people who are old and alone, but
we felt compelled by the Lord to begin considering the needs of older adults in Cabarrus and Rowan
counties. I met with Ed to ask for wisdom in beginning to serve those locally who are aging alone. Ed
listened, gave insight, and most importantly, he prayed.
Over the years since that meeting and Ed's powerful prayer, CCM has been generous, encouraging and
creative in helping our mission move forward. The most recent invitation to go deeper in our already
strong partnership came after CCM's purchase of Caremoor Retirement Community.
In April our EOC office moved to Caremoor, such a blessing! But far better than that, one of our clients
moved to Caremoor! For years this older friend had been living in substandard conditions and for a
variety of reasons should not have been living alone. Despite our best efforts, we could find no option for
a safe and affordable place for her to call home. We are so grateful to now be able to visit this friend as
we walk the halls of Caremoor!
Because our three-person staff has a variety of skills that can benefit Grace Place at Caremoor, we will
also be on site several hours each week to assist their staff and encourage the residents.
We praise God for this opportunity to be a part of a pioneering work that I believe will continue to grow
and develop in amazing ways for the glory of God and the good of those he loves!
Kim Jackson
Elder Orphan Care Executive Director

P ARTNER SPOTLIGHT & THANK YOU
Congratulations to our Partners at Share the
Harvest Community Farm for having their
“GREATEST year YET!”
In 2023, they donated their highest single
year total ever, with 19,216.6 lbs of fresh
produce donated!
Check out what they did in 2023!
APRIL FOOD DRIVES
(200+ lbs.)
Mary Frances Wall Center - 1,175 lbs.
Grifols Plasma Center - 573 lbs.
Atrium Health Hospice - 455 lbs.
We also are thankful to students at
Hickory Grove Christian School, who
made and donated 140 lbs. of peanut
butter sandwiches for our clients!
CCM would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation for
the opportunity to participate in the recent Hispanic
Resource Nights hosted by Cabarrus County and
Kannapolis City Schools, as well as the Student & Family
Mental Wellness Forum organized by Cabarrus County
Schools. These events served as invaluable platforms
for us to share information about CCM's programs and
initiatives.
Your partnership and collaboration are instrumental in our
shared mission to empower individuals and families within
our community. Together, we can continue to foster an
environment of support, understanding, and growth for all.
Low-income pregnant women are at heightened risk for malnutrition and adverse
birth outcomes. American Heart Association & CCM are teaming up to provide
prenatal boxes filled with curated food items and supportive resources to pregnant
women throughout Cabarrus County. Through their generous funding powered by
Novant Health, we will distribute boxes to 300+ women, promoting healthy birth
outcomes for mothers and infants. Thank you, American Heart Association!

UPCOMING EVENTS
R3 CAREER & EDUCATION
SPECIALIST FEATURED
CAREER SERVICES
Update your existing career skills, learn
about continuing education, or find the
right career opportunity!
• Basic and Advanced Computer Skills
• Resume and Cover Letter
• Job Search Assistance
• Mock Interviews
• Career Readiness Certification
• Workplace Soft Skills Workshops
• Continuing Education Scholarship Assistance
• Basic Budgeting Review
CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION
Stormie Starks 704-216-3473
stormie.starks@rccc.edu
Mon & Wed.: 8:30-3:30
Location: North Carolina
Research Center
Thurs: 9:00-1:00
Location: CCM Dream Center
Kim Pace 704-216-3653
kimberly.pace@rccc.edu
Tues. & Thurs.: 9:00-2:00
Location: North Carolina
Research Center
SAVE THE DATE
Attention all Nonprofit
Leaders, Staff, and
Volunteers!
CABARRUS COUNTY
NONPROFIT WORKSHOP
AUGUST 22, 2024
8:30 AM – 1:00 PM
CROSSROADS CHURCH
220 GEORGE W. LILES PARKWAY
CONCORD, NC 28027
MOBILE FOOD PANTRY DATES
May 16 (Thursday) – 10:00-12:00
Elevation Church Concord
545 Concord Pkwy N, Concord
Co-Sponsored by Connect Christian Church and
Calvary Lutheran Church
June 13 (Thursday) – 10:00-12:00
Bethel Church of Midland
12700 Idlebrook Dr., Midland
Sponsored by Bethel Church of Midland
July 30 (Tuesday) – 10:00-12:00
Elevation Church Concord
545 Concord Pkwy N, Concord
Sponsored by Elevation Church Concord

EXPERTS IN FAMILY
FINANCIAL RELIEF
HELP with
HOUSING
HelpWithHousing.net
SENIOR RESOURCE GUIDE
FOOD
RESOURCES
The ‘Cabarrus County Food
Resource Map’, which was
recently created by the
Hunger Task Force, is available
on our website. Please share
this valuable resource with the
community.
Sign up to round up your monthly City of Concord Utility bill to the nearest dollar
and help keep the air, heat, and lights on for hundreds of families in need.
Visit: https://concordnc.gov/Departments/Customer-Care/
Neighbor-Helping-Neighbor
NEW! CCM Career Opportunities
246 Country Club Drive NE, PO Box 1717
Concord, NC 28026 TEL: 704-786-4709
GIVE ONLINE: www.CooperativeMinistry.com or TEXT: ccmhelps to 44321