Our weekly check-in meeting is open to anyone interested in supporting compassionate community response to our most vulnerable neighbors in this time of crisis. Meetings are held online every Thursday from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Email LeDayne Polaski for Zoom access code. In addition, if you would like to receive notification when these minutes are posted, please subscribe to our newsletter.
Click Here to Access Zoom Recording: Passcode:%eytN#9S
In this Issue:
Important Dates:
April:
4/3, 10-11am: Pineville Neighbors Food Drive
4/6, 12 -1pm: East Side Charlotte 2040 Community Conversation Listening Session
4/7, 8:00am: MeckMIN Community Awards Breakfast
4/8, 11am: NO LEADER MEETING
4/8, 5:30pm-6:30pm: East Side Charlotte 2040 Community Conversation Listening Session
4/9: Camp CMS Registration Closes
4/9, 3-6pm: Hope Street Food Pantry Mobile Pantry Distribution
4/15, 9am -3pm: Poor People’s Campaign Vaccination Event at International House, 1817 Central Avenue
4/15, 12:30pm: Food for Thought Care of Creation
4/20, 8 am: Classroom Central’s Virtual Event, Color a Brighter Future.
6/10 - 6/13: In Our Own Backyard Interfaith Youth Summer Camp
Opening Reflection
Offered by Deb Blackwood
God in unexpected places God, you have filled our lives with abundant manifestations of your creative hand. You gift us with diverse bodies and experiences and stories and dreams that all work together to help us better understand you and all of creation. Forgive us, O God, when we reject you by rejecting the belovedness of our neighbors. Give us the courage to recognize you anew in people, places, and ideas unexpected. Amen.
(source: https://enfleshed.com)
1. MeckMIN Updates
The MeckMIN Community Leader Awards Breakfast will be livestreamed on Wednesday, April 7 at 8 am.
This event is a highlight of the year so we hope you will buy a ticket and join us at our virtual table.
We’ll be honoring three remarkable women. READ BIOS HERE!
Your attendance will help us to honor these three remarkable women. This is also our biggest fundraiser of the year, and your paid ticket supports our work all year to foster understanding, compassion, and justice. That said, your attendance means more to us than your gift, and we do understand that many of us are struggling with our finances.
Crisis & Compassion Docuseries Highlights Interfaith Responses to Covid-19 in Mecklenburg County
The fourth video in this series premiered on March 30 at 7 pm. “That They All May Be One,” tells a story of vision and persistence. Despite the pandemic, the Chapel of Christ the King followed through with a plan that was a year in the making—to transform the church’s under-utilized property into an edible landscape, an orchard that would address food insecurity and provide an outdoor space where longtime residents and new arrivals can come together as neighbors in Optimist Park.
Around the world people of faith realize that our earth and all people are sacred and at risk. Just how to respond is a conversation that often feels overwhelming and even discouraging. How can we strengthen our faith voice to respond to one of the most pressing issues of our time? Register to join us.
In Our Own Backyard (IOOBY) Interfaith Youth Summer Camp Scheduled June 10-13, 2021
Open to rising 9th - 12th grades Cost: $250 / camper
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Friday, May 28
The purpose of the camp is to bring youth together from different faiths, races and socioeconomic backgrounds to learn more about each other’s faith traditions and to serve area residents in need. Participants visit various social agencies, visit different houses of faith for worship services and develop their own interfaith worship service. Attendees are eligible to join the MeckMIN youth council. Please share and encourage youth to apply.
Join the #Who’sIN Campaign
We depend on annual membership gifts from houses of faith, grassroots groups, nonprofits, and other organizations as our largest source of income. From April 15 to May 31, MeckMIN will be hosting its #Who's IN campaign to encourage these groups to become supporters and contribute annual dues in support of the work of MeckMIN. We hope you'll make YOUR annual gift to support our work for understanding, compassion and justice.
You can make your annual gift by check mailed to PO Box 11243, Charlotte, NC 28220 or by credit card online at meckmin.org.
If you aren't sure if your membership is current, contact us as meckmin@meckmin.org.
The work of Mike Wirth, a Queens University professor and artist, will be included as part of a national initiative by the CANVAS Jewish Arts & Culture Funding Collaborative called "Dwelling in a Time of Plagues" Passover project. Wirth's piece, entitled Havtachah – the Promise, honors those in our community who are living in tent cities and who face dire economic hardship and housing insecurity.
A Charlotte interfaith project, the traveling 16' x 8' mural will originally be installed at Camp North End during the Jewish holiday of Passover, March 28 to April 4. It will then move to four other sites around Charlotte for Easter and Ramadan as part of a "pitching our tent tour" that will inspire increased conversation around Charlotte housing.
MeckMIN is very pleased to be a part of this project. Watch for more information about how you can participate when we partner with Park Road Baptist Church to host the mural April 25 to May 12. 2. Nonprofit Updates
2. NonProfit Updates & Volunteer Needs
We’re working to get ID’s for many of the people who were at Tent City and are now in a County-funded hotel. With hotel extensions possible, we have good opportunity to engage with those folks who are usually overlooked and hard to access. This is a great opportunity to engage with these folks while the county helps them find more stable housing. We have had many requests from women who need their kids’ birth certificates and ss cards. We are figuring out how to make that work, even though kids don’t vote (ID’s for voting is our primary mandate). Cost is in the birth certificates. There is a great new program through a Charlotte pilot to get birth certificates via video conference and the DMV is making it possible to renew ids online so some progress is being made to make these processes easier. We can use more volunteers for both on-site and over-the-phone work.
The mass exit increased the demand for our services 10 fold. We have served food every day since the evacuation. The county, and several other nonprofits have stepped up to try and provide a humane transition for our homeless friends. It takes an entire community to solve this problem. We are helping folks at the county hotels when they request it (mobile help center) as well. We have begun working with a few other groups to feed and clothe the smaller tent camps around the city each night. Our Mobile Help Center, and Agape Love programs were flooded with folks in need. We have helped feed and clothe, provided shelter, employment opportunities, and other resources necessary to maintaining and or obtaining a household. Despite feeding the feed the smaller tent communities every night, while running the mobile help center during the day. We still serve in the Dillehay neighborhood, and various communities across the city. We serve after school programs and remote learning centers. We also provide essentials like bus passes, and rides to interviews etc. We have increased our capacity in every area of the poverty chain. Our youth outreach programs, our rehabilitation programs, and our outreach programs are all operating at a higher capacity then ever before.
Jewish Family Services was awarded a grant this year from United Way to serve the Pineville community in the area of mental health, family support and case management services. Through the grant we are able to provide therapy services if someone is not insured. We also have hired a Spanish speaking therapist who will start with JFS in May. A one-pager is attached with information.
Hope Street Food Pantry will be hosting its first mobile pantry on Friday, April 9. Second Harvest Food Bank Metrolina will be dropping off enough food to feed 300 families. There are several areas to volunteer. Volunteers should arrive by 1:00 pm, we will start distribution at 3:00 pm and end around 6:00 pm. Hope Street Food Pantry is located at 4100 Johnston Oehler Road, Charlotte, NC 28269.
Block Love needs both financial and material support. This is one of the frontline organizations assisting Public Health with the care for our tent city/encampments individuals and families. Click HERE For more information
Greg Jackson and his team have been looking for support around additional care packages that they deliver to the 2 hotels that the county is using. Some of the items within these care packages consist of the following items:
Feminine products, deodorant, soap, laundry detergent, towels, washcloths, linens, and PPE kits. If you have a desire to pack and deliver some care packages, please email the team HERE. They are also in need of funding to continue serving our homeless population.
New money has been released within the stimulus package to care for the financial needs of our vulnerable populations. CAM has a great website for resources and next steps for anyone in need. Please visit our website for all up-to-date information for our communities.
Volunteers are needed to help pack their referral food boxes for immediate distribution into our community. Register Here
Volunteers are needed to help unpack and sort their daily medication deliveries. To learn more information . Register Here
Loaves & Fishes has updated their volunteer software and signup for volunteering for home deliveries and pack boxes in the warehouse should be easier. Sign-Up Here
Also, since next week is Spring Break for CMS, please refer people who need food next week to us so no one goes hungry with school out. 704-523-4333.
On April 20th at 8 am, Classroom Central will host a virtual event, Color a Brighter Future. This inspiring event will paint the picture of the struggles and triumphs our teachers and students face on a daily basis – and how your support has the power to change thousands of lives. There will be inspiring messages from our guest speakers who will illustrate how free school supplies improve educational outcomes for students and lift up hardworking educators. The investment you make at this event will allow us to reach more teachers and students in our community, re-engineer our programming to meet their changing needs, and continue to efficiently fulfill our mission on a larger scale.
Restore sells donated furniture, appliances etc. and profits go to home building program. Sales have been incredible strong over the pandemic and we are struggling to get inventory. We are looking for additional donations of furniture and more to restock the stores. Please consider spreading the word. Your donations will be picked up for free via truck. Click here to schedule a PICK-UP REQUEST.
Pineville Neighbors is having a drive thru food pantry this Saturday, April 3, 10-11am. This is for anyone - not just Pineville. Sign up on our website
JustServe has volunteer opportunities on their website for all. Please consider sharing your own work through the Facebook page.
We still have spots open to feed frontline workers at the Medic Clinic. This is a great family-friendly opportunity as well. Register Here
3. General Information
CMS will be hosting up to 50,000 students this summer for a six week enrichment summer experience called “Camp CMS”. The camp is scheduled for the three weeks before and three weeks after July 4th and is free of charge. Breakfast, lunch and transportation will be provided. The registration is open now and will close by Friday April 9th. There are flyers with information in 9 languages and the registration link available on a google drive. If you have neighbors who need the flyer in another language and you have the ability to translate the flyer, please share that translation with CMS so they can offer it to others.
The camp day will consist of enrichment activities along with PE and other fun opportunities. As of 4/1, CMS students are the priority but depending on how many students register and other factors, registration may be opened up to public charter students or others.
Please share the flyer widely. We hope to register a lot of students in a short period of time.
Update on Instruction: See Community Partner meeting slide deck.
Starting April, 12th, in-person instruction for students in grades 6-12 increases to four days a week. All students not enrolled in Full Remote Academy will attend school on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, with Wednesday reserved for remote instruction.
All students receiving in-person instruction will attend school 5 days a week effective May 10th and extending to the end of the school year in order to best accommodate state testing
30 for 30 Campaign
On behalf of CMPD Deputy Chief Stella Patterson, many thanks to those who registered to participate in 30 for 30: Together in Prayer! Our hope is to have 30 different congregations participating so a prayer will be offered each day for 30 days. If you have not registered for 30 for 30, there is room for more! To learn more about 30 for 30 or to register, please contact fran.cook-mahood@cmpd.org or (704) 614-3726.
For the first time in 20+ years, there is no waiting list for child care subsidy at Child Care Resources Inc. (CCRI). That’s right, NO WAITING LIST — not just for young children, but also for school-age children through age 12!
Here’s what families need to do to find out whether they are eligible:
Call 704-348-2181 to speak with a CCRI Child Care Search specialist to receive child care information, referrals, and more information about child care subsidy, and to be pre-screened for eligibility.
To schedule an appointment, parents will need to have current documentation of employment and/or school enrollment and income (as identified below).
To be determined eligible for child care subsidy, the child’s parent/responsible adult must:
Be a resident of Mecklenburg County
Be employed an average of 30+ hours per week AND have current check stubs to document employment and income; OR
Be in school 20 hours per week AND have a school schedule that documents this; OR
Be working and in school a combination of at least 30 hours per week AND have current check stubs to document employment, income, and school schedule; AND
For families with children ages birth to 5, family income cannot exceed 200% of the Federal Poverty Level.
For families with school-age children through age 12, family income cannot exceed 133% of the Federal Poverty Level.
CORRA LA VOZ:¡YA NO EXISTE UNA LISTA DE ESPERA PARA EL SUBSIDIO DE CUIDADO DE NIÑOS EN EL CCRI!¡Para español oprima aquí!
CCRI needs your help to spread the word to families you know. Please share widely.
Funeral Costs Paid for COVID-19-Related Deaths:
In early April, FEMA will begin providing financial assistance for funeral expenses incurred after Jan. 20, 2020 for deaths related to coronavirus (COVID-19) to help ease some of the financial stress and burden caused by the pandemic. FEMA is now moving rapidly to implement this funeral assistance program nationwide. To find out if you qualify, view the COVID-19 funeral assistance program policy.
4. Covid Vaccination Clinics
On April 15 the Piedmont Circle of the Poor People's Campaign will be hosting a vaccination clinic at International House. We need folks to pre-register and we also need volunteers for the day, especially bilingual volunteers. ID will not be required for vaccine. We don’t yet know which vaccine will be provided but we will share that information once it is known.
Thursday, April 15, 2021, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
International House (Midwood International & Cultural Center), 1817 Central Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28205
Call (980) 314-7600 for transportation request
For general questions: (631) 943-2189
FORCLT Additional Vaccination Clinics
Here are some additional clinics through Public Health in the near future:
Southeast Health Department (2nd dose 4/7)
David B. Waymer Rec Center (4/7)
Pleasant Hill Baptist Church (4/8)
Latin Community Credit Union (2nd dose 4/8)
Southeast Health Department (2nd dose 4/9)
Smith Family Wellness (2nd dose 4/9)
Davidson College Baker Sports (4/10)
We have a Community Health Worker program to help people impacted by the pandemic. We have many Community Health Workers who are ready to help anyone to learn more about the Vaccination and to get scheduled for a vaccination! 704-859-4059 NC-Covid-Support@kepro.com
As part of the COVID relief package that was approved in December, most Americans were eligible for Economic Impact Payments – or stimulus payments – in the amount of $600 for each person in their household. The IRS has made direct deposits or issued checks for these stimulus payments, but many North Carolinians – particularly those with low incomes who don't typically file federal income tax returns and those with children – may not have received these payments or may not have received the full amount they are due.
The IRS has a tool for individuals to check the status of their stimulus payments. Individuals and families that did not receive their stimulus payments are eligible for a Recovery Rebate Credit, which they can claim by filing IRS Form 1040 and using line 30. The IRS has extended the filing deadline for individual income taxes through May 17. The Center strongly encourages nonprofits – particularly those serving North Carolinians with low incomes and those serving children – to help spread the word to ensure that those who did not receive their full Economic Impact Payments file a Form 1040 and use line 30 to request their stimulus payments.