CHARLOTTE – Sometimes, just a simple thank you isn’t enough.
“In the past few years, the Dilworth Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry has received incredible support from the local community, businesses and organizations, as well as our dedicated and growing group of volunteers,” said Tom Fedell, DSK chairman.
“But three groups receive special mention for their efforts during the past few years,” Fedell said, recognizing Amazon, Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc. and Eager 2 Motivate Fitness.
DSK volunteer and board member Tanarge Clegg works at the Amazon fulfillment center in Charlotte. In 2022, she saw an opportunity to lead a program where the facility could provide product donations to non-profit organizations.
That summer was the first time DSK received a donation from Amazon, including more than 150 boxes of canned goods, proteins, soup, cereals, liquids and pasta to help address the food insecurity in and around Charlotte. The donations have become a regular activity for Tanarge and the team at Amazon where every few months they volunteer to help address the food insecurity issues of DSK’s guests.
Not only that, Amazon’s affinity groups also regularly volunteer to unpack and help store the food on the shelves. Last month, Glamazon – the company’s affinity group that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion within the LGBTQ+ community – helped unpack an Amazon donation that was more than double the size of the first donation in 2022.
Amazon said its affinity groups play an important role in building internal networks for creating a community, advising Amazon business units, leading in service projects, and reaching out to communities where Amazonians live and work. The effort is part of Amazon’s larger effort to help address food insecurity across the U.S.
Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc. first got to know DSK when several South Park employees began volunteering as a group to help assemble lunches and also work on unpacking and storing large grocery shipments. They have also provided several grants to DSK. At a suggestion from CCCI, the Soup Kitchen has begun receiving 17 cases of Dasani water every three weeks from Coca-Cola’s Black Satchel Drive location. It’s enough water for the 400 lunches that DSK provides its guests in a given week.
Also a few years ago, DSK received a donation in the mail from Eager 2 Motivate Fitness. We learned that the local E2M group offers personal training and fitness and nutrition programs. That donation from Eager 2 Motivate has been duplicated a number of times and one of their managers came to visit recently.
“We appreciate all the support we are receiving from these groups and from so many others in so many ways,” Fedell said. “Our website (www.dilworthsoupkitchen.org) explains many of the ways that individuals, groups and organizations can help DSK meet the needs of the poor and those struggling with inflation and the high cost of food.”
The non-profit Dilworth Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry provides hot, nutritious lunches and groceries every Monday and Friday from 11 a.m. to noon for up to 200 guests from throughout Charlotte. The food pantry provides fresh food and non-perishables on the first and third Wednesday of each month to registered guests. Located at the First Christian Church, 1200 East Blvd., the Soup Kitchen has no paid staff and relies on the support of our volunteers, the community and local businesses and individuals.
If you are interested in helping support our mission through your time, talents or in other ways, please visit out Donate or Volunteer pages. For further information visit our Facebook page at https://www.dilworthsoupkitchen.org/ or contact us at info@dilworthsoupkitchen.org.