Our every other week check-in meeting is open to anyone interested in supporting compassionate community response to our most vulnerable neighbors. Meetings are held online every other 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 email LeDayne and ask to be added to the Thursday meetings email list.
Want to learn more about we do on our calls? Watch this short video clip!
Click Here to Access Zoom Recording:
In this Issue:
IMPORTANT DATES
10/14, 11 AM: Rally for Democracy - CLT Mecklenburg Government Center Plaza
10/15, 10 AM - 12 PM: Mental Illness: Recognize the Behaviors, Friendship Missionary Baptist
10/18, 11:30-1: Food for Thought: Safe and Secure Elections. Please register
10/18, 5:30 - 7 PM : Fighting for Family film screening at UNC Charlotte
10/20, 8:30 AM: Crisis Assistance Breakfast | Providence United Methodist
10/22, 9-12: Pineville Neighbors 6th Annual Potato Drop at Carolina Place Parking Lot
10/27, 7 PM: 2nd Annual Mental Health Symposium at Matthews United Methodist Church
11/12: MeckMIN Youth Event at Catawba Nation
11/15, 12 PM: Food for Thought: Moving Beyond Myth
11/19, 10 AM -12 PM: Health Resources: Connecting w/Resources focused on Equality
11/22, 6:45 -9 PM: MeckMIN Community-Wide Interfaith Thanksgiving Service
12/14, 12 – 4 PM: Wedgewood Church Immigrant Holiday Bazaar
12/16: Canopy Realtor® Association Holiday Awards Luncheon
Opening Reflection
Share in the chat a word or phrase that helps keeps you grounded in the midst of your work and your life.
· Unity
· Grace
· Be still
· Mercy
· Breathe
· Let go and let God
· Mindset
· loving-kindness
· Love
· Breathe
· Hope floats
· Pray
· Gratefulness
· Faith
· trust
· It could always be worse
· Lists!
· Gratitude
· It'll be okay
· Thank you
· Not my circus
· My reflection is that I am not Exempt
Happy Clergy Appreciation Month!
1. MeckMIN Updates
IN PERSON FOOD FOR THOUGHT | FAIR, SAFE, & SECURE ELECTIONS IN NC: A BIPARTISAN EVENT October 18 | 12 - 1 PM | Covenant Presbyterian Church
Lunch starts at 11:30 AM.
Join us as we hear from members of the Voting Rights Committee of the Reimagining America Project, a group that has worked to dispel misinformation about rampant fraud in our elections system and continues to focus on safety, fairness, and overcoming racial disparities in voting rights in NC.
This event will be in-person only. NO online option. NO recording. Lunch reservations due by Monday, October 10. Register here.
6TH ANNUAL PINEVILLE POTATO DROP / OPEN TABLES
You are invited to join us on Saturday, October 22 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM for the 6th Annual Pineville Potato Drop. We'll meet at Carolina Place Mall to bag 40,000 pounds of potatoes for distribution to 25 community agencies.
Sign up here
Children are welcome to attend.
We'll also have gift cards available -- and you are warmly encouraged to grab a new friend (or an old one) afterwards and share coffee/tea, a snack, and further conversation.
IN PERSON FOOD FOR THOUGHT | MOVING BEYOND MYTH
November 15 | 12 - 1 PM | Covenant Presbyterian Church
Lunch starts at 11:30 AM.
Join us on Tuesday, November 15 at 12 PM at Covenant Presbyterian Church for Moving beyond Myth which will focus on the stereotypes and misinformation about Indigenous people that we've all learned from school or the media. During this interactive workshop, participants will reflect on their experiences learning about Indigenous people in school, and how these lessons were often rooted in untruths that have crystallized over time. We will work to deconstruct these stereotypes and to recognize the authenticity and complexity of actual Indigenous identity, both contemporarily and historically. Register here
ANNUAL COMMUNITY-WIDE INTERFAITH THANKSGIVING SERVICE Tuesday, November 22 | 7 - 9 PM (Prelude to begin at 6:45 PM) Little Rock A.M.E. Zion Church
The 2022 Community-Wide Interfaith Thanksgiving Service will include Indigenous Carolina Catawba, Lumbee, and Tuscarora artists and activists in crafting a service that incorporates their traditional and current practices to address the mythmaking around the traditional Thanksgiving story, offer a truer and more complete story, and suggest actions toward justice that attendees and MeckMIN can take. While deeply rooted in Indigenous history and traditions, the service will be accessible to people of all faiths.
We gather each year on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and the service is a delightful reminder of the rich and growing diversity of our community. We hope you'll mark your calendar and plan to join us!
Register here
If you too are excited about this opportunity, please consider becoming a sponsor of the service to enable us to equitably compensate the Indigenous leaders who are assisting with the service. The lead sponsorship is available for $5,000, and there are additional opportunities available for individuals, congregations, businesses, and fellow nonprofits ranging from $3,000 to $250.
Click here to sponsor this event. Click here to see our sponsorship opportunities
THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE
We are seeking congregations and nonprofits willing to serve as drop off spots for our annual Loaves & Fishes food drive. L & F makes it easy – they drop off and pick up the boxes. You would ask your members to contribute AND allow us to publish you as a drop off location for MeckMIN members. You would just need to tell us when/how you would be accepting donations – E.g. – Drop offs can be made from 10 am to 2 pm Monday through Friday in our office OR A box will be available on our circle drive and will be accessible 24/7 from November 7-20.
Please email LeDayne if you are willing to be a drop off location.
FAITH, COMMUNITY & NON-PROFIT LEADERS THANKSGIVING MEETING
Do we just want to skip or meet the week before or after? Please put your vote in the chat. (The vast majority of votes were to skip so we’ll meet November 10 and then next on December 8.)
Pandemic Updates
Tamara Hawkins | Tamara.Hawkins@mecklenburgcountync.gov
Updates/Highlights:
32% decrease in cases from Sept 23 – Oct 6, 2022.
27% decrease in emergency department visits from previous 2-week period.
52% decrease in cases among children ages 0-17.
Decline in deaths over previous 2-week period.
We administered over 34,000 doses of COVID vaccine in September with the bulk of those doses being the updated, bivalent booster shots.
At the moment all the metrics are trending in a positive direction
WORKER HEALTH & SAFETY TRAINING WORKSHOPS
Sabrina Kuroda, MEd | Outreach & Communication Coordinator
TWIN Nonprofit | Twinnonprofit.org | (814) 873-6545
TWIN is currently offering a 2-hour worker health & safety training workshop regarding Infectious Disease Prevention & Control with Emphasis on COVID-19 and a 1 hour Monkeypox awareness training (see attached flyers). We can provide the training in-person or virtually at no cost to the organizations (as the training cost is covered by a grant from OSHA).
If you are interested in learning how to schedule a session for your team, please let me know and we will make it happen! I can be reached at (814) 873-6545.
We also have upcoming October virtual Eventbrite dates open to the general public. If you are interested, please let me know and I will send the October links to you.
2. Non-Profit Updates
THE QUEEN'S CUPBOARD
The Queen's Cupboard is a project of the Queen City Impact Club. We are a pantry that provides essential, non-food items to families in need. We focus on non-food items because they are oftentimes not covered by public assistance and are therefore sometimes cost-prohibitive for people who need them the most. See this link for more information.
They are looking for shelf space at existing pantries to supply these non-food items to those in need. They would stock the shelves initially and when more supplies are needed, the church/school would contact them to refill the space as needed.
GRANTS FOR DIVERSE-OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES & NON-PROFITS
Foundation For The Carolinas announced that diverse small business owners can apply now through Oct 28 for the first round of grants from $5k - $250k within the Beyond Open program. Established with a $20 million grant from Wells Fargo, Beyond Open will make grants to diverse-owned small businesses and organizations offering expertise to small businesses across three rounds of funding opportunities from 2022-2024.
For this first round of funding, Beyond Open grants are available to help historically underserved small businesses obtain capital assets such as equipment, technology, real estate, and inventory. Eligible applicants are business owners in Charlotte-Mecklenburg who identify as a minority, woman, veteran, or LGBTQ and can be non-profit or for-profit businesses. Beyond Open grants do not need to be re-paid. Beyond Open grants cannot be used for operating expenses including payroll, utilities, advertising/marketing, consulting, and debt re-payment. Learn more and apply by visiting beyondopenclt.com.
SMART START INNOVATION GRANTS
Smart Start of Mecklenburg County is in its third year of offering Innovation Grants. For this year, the goal is to award systems change through a collaborative approach, focusing on either parent engagement or the social and emotional needs of young children. To learn more, please review the Innovation Grant guidelines.
CRISIS ASSISTANCE NEEDS UPDATE
Carol Hardison | CHardison@crisisassistance.org Adam Cline | acline@crisisassistance.org
With prices of energy and housing on the rise, families in Charlotte are seeking record amounts of financial assistance to help pay the bills.
The numbers are startling at Crisis Assistance Ministry, where five years ago the average amount of financial help families sought in rent and utility assistance totaled about $400 per family but has climbed to current requests ranging anywhere from $3,000 to $8,000 per household, according to CEO Carol Hardison. The percentage of customers seeking assistance greater than $1,000 for utilities is more than 13 times higher than it was five years ago, she said.
Crisis Assistance Ministry is a Charlotte-based nonprofit that offers financial assistance to individuals and families who need help paying rent and utilities. The organization currently distributes $800,000 to $1M a month to Mecklenburg County households, Hardison said.
-Seeing an overwhelming rise due to government aid programs that have expired -Oct 20th, 8:30 AM Breakfast |Providence United Methodist | CA is inviting the faith community to gather once again in person for the first time since Covid. Encourage gov’t leadership to respond.
Email ADAM CLINE to register.
ABC MECKLENBURG COUNTY GRANT OPPORTUNITY
Alcoholic Beverage Control
Julia Paul Director | Community Engagement and External Relations | www.meckabc.com
Terry Albanese | terryalbanese28@gmail.com
-$100 M given to nonprofits for the past 75 years
-People turn to substance abuse in hard times
-Grants are to be used for education, prevention, treatment of alcoholism and substance abuse
-Small Grant Program – max cap is $25,000 will – will award 16 grants
-See more information at https://www.meckabc.com under the Community Outreach tab.
-Annual Grant - $75,000 reimbursement broadens to prevention ed, and treatment allocation
COMMUNITY SCHOOLS MODEL
Shamaiye Haynes | shamaiye.crenshaw@gmail.com
-Will explore this model in 2 CMS schools
-Introduced in 2017, this model addresses EQUITY
-It seeks to bring the community into the school
-Operates on 6 pillars
-Puts the parent in the driving seat
-Open the school beyond regular school hours
-Key Partners: Communities in Schools, CLT Community Think Tank
-Trying to identify 2 schools to adopt the model, leadership has to embrace the principles of the model, studies have been done that show that if operated appropriately it will close the gap so we are not researching the effective of the model here but instead we are researching whether we can get schools to embrace it
-For questions or about the Community Schools Model: email
charlottecommunitythinktank@gmail.com
2ND ANNUAL MENTAL HEALTH SYMPOSIUM
THERE'S HOPE: THE CHURCH & MENTAL HEALTH
The Hope for Minds & Hearts Ministry invites all to their 2nd annual mental health symposium on Thursday, Oct 27 at 7:00 PM at Matthews United Methodist Church (801 Trade Street, Matthews, NC). For details or questions email Monica Aquilera
LOVING ME MIND, BODY AND SOUL
LASHANDA THOMAS | lit9700@yahoo.com
Friendship Missionary Baptist Church Social Justice Ministry invites all to their October session of Loving Me, Mind, Body, Soul Mental Health and Wellness Symposium. Register here
Oct 15 – 10 -12 PM Mental Illness: Recognize the Behaviors
Nov 19 – 10 -12 PM Health Resources: Connecting w/Resources focused on Equality
PRE-K OPENINGS
Desiree’ Chappell | NC Pre-K Assistant Director | Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
1901 Herbert Spaugh Lane | Charlotte, NC 28208
Cell Ph: 704-606-1108| Fax 980-343-5087 | desireem.gabe@cms.k12.nc.us
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Pre-K Department is working diligently on recruitment to boost student enrollment. We are connecting with you all in hopes that you can help us spread the word in our community about our Free PreK Program. We currently have slots available in both our Bright Beginnings Program housed in CMS schools as well as our NC PreK Programs that are housed in childcare Centers.
If you know of families that have children that turned 4 years old before August 31st and are in need of PreK please share our information CMS Pre-K Office 980-343-5950 or visit us at https://www.cmsk12.org/Page/74 or parents can apply at https://cmsncc.scriborder.com/.
Enrolment is low, open seats are not getting used, spread the word
FIGHTING FOR FAMILY FILM
Beth Elise Whitaker, Ph.D. (she, her, hers) | Professor of Political Science
Executive Director | Office of Interdisciplinary Studies
UNC Charlotte | Fretwell 320/445H
9201 University City Blvd. | Charlotte, NC 28223
bwhitaker@uncc.edu | 704-687-7479 | pages.uncc.edu/beth-whitaker/
Film Screening: "Fighting For Family" on Tuesday, October 18 at 5:30 to 7:00 PM
University of NC at Charlotte Rowe 130
Register here
Please join us for a screening of "Fighting For Family" followed by a panel discussion with the director, some people in the film, and community organizers. The film highlights the refugee experience in North Carolina, the school to prison to deportation pipeline, and the power of resilience and community resistance. This event is the first in a series on "Immigrant Inclusion, Integration, and Citizenship in Charlotte" funded by an Inclusive Excellence Grant from the UNC Charlotte Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
This event is the first in a series on "Immigrant Inclusion, Integration, and Citizenship in Charlotte" funded by an Inclusive Excellence Grant from the UNC Charlotte Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
TUTOR CHARLOTTE
Elise Esasky | Communications Manager
We’re excited to introduce TutorCharlotte.org, a new community initiative to help connect volunteers with effective tutoring organizations in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. It’s a collaborative effort by Augustine Literacy Project – Charlotte, the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Heart Math Tutoring, Helps Education Fund, and Read Charlotte to meet a community need for tutors. Helping our children recover from the impact of the pandemic on their learning will take the work of our whole community. We hope to reach every corner of our community with this effort and connect more volunteer tutors with students than ever before, to help get our children back on track.
-Need for Pre-K – 5 Tutors
-View Tutoring opportunities here
LOAVES & FISHES
Lindsey Houser | Community Engagement Coordinator | lindsey@loavesandfishes.org
Loaves & Fishes/Friendship Trays | 648 Griffith Road, Suite B Charlotte, NC 28217
(704) 343-5031 | www.loavesandfishes.org | www.friendshiptrays.org
Desperate need for home delivery drivers, Home drops have increased from 3 days a week to 4 days
Our primary volunteer need is delivery drivers. For the Loaves & Fishes program, we deliver a week’s worth of groceries on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Drivers will be assigned 3-5 deliveries for a total of 8-15 boxes, so larger personal vehicles with space are preferred. Drivers must be 18, but if you are not 18 yet this could be done as a pair with a parent. Deliveries are kid friendly and contact free. Go on our Volunteer Website to register and sign up for a shift.
We are in need food drives and food donations. With gas and grocery expenses at an all time high and a decrease in the number of food drives, our warehouse is looking a little sparse on food. Monetary and food donations are always welcome year around but especially now with these inflation prices. Here is a copy of our Priority Needs list. Interested food drive hosts can fill out our Food Drive Registration Form or contact me at lindsey@loavesandfishes.org.
We are also hiring:
Friendly Reminder: Minimum age to volunteer is 14 and closed toe shoes are required!
BUILDING A BETTER WORLD IN SOLIDARITY WITH IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES
German Muñoz (He/Him/His) | Migrant Services Coordinator | gmunoz@cwsglobal.org
Come & Learn
SOCIAL VENTURE PARTNERS CHARLOTTE NOW TAKING APPLICATIONS FOR OUR SEED20 CLASS OF 2023
Laurie Grauer | Program Manager | Social Venture Partners Charlotte | lgrauer@svpcharlotte.org
PO Box 12712 Charlotte, NC 28220
My name is Laurie Grauer and I am the Program Manager with Social Venture Charlotte. I wanted to share that applications for our SEED20 program are now open through October 31st. Participating nonprofits receive training and coaching on how to powerfully tell their story. The program culminates with a pitch competition in front of a large, live audience on April 27, 2023. Check out www.Seed20.org for more information. People can also email me at lgrauer@svpcharlotte.org
Click here to apply
Click here to learn more
Application Information Webinar:
Virtual office hours (opportunity to drop-in to ask questions):
CATHOLIC DIOCESE PROGRAM ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Deacon Clarke E. Cochran | clarkecochran@stpeterscatholic.org
806-438-9057 | www.stpetercatholic.org
Parental discretion is advised
ROOF ABOVE VOLUNTEER NEEDS
Joe Hamby | jhamby@roofabove.org
We are so grateful for the opportunity to announce the bagged lunch opportunity for our sheltering motel. Good news is that we’re already filled for October, only have seven openings in November, but do have quite a bit of open slots in December.
We have our normal Operation Sandwich as well as bagged lunch opportunities for our Day Services Center.
Visit website for Volunteer opportunities & Roof Above specific needs
CULTURAL SENSITIVITY TRAINING - INTERN
ATIONAL HOUSE
Lauren Rogers | Director of Community Engagement | International House
704-333-8099 ext. 121 | www.ihclt.org
1817 Central Avenue, Suite 215 | Charlotte, NC 28205
International House is pleased to announce that we’re launching a series of Cultural Sensitivity Training workshops, designed to equip service providers with the skills, resources, and expertise they need to communicate effectively with clients from international backgrounds or who are non-native English speakers. This 4-hour workshop is primarily designed for healthcare professionals, social workers, and community service providers who work with clientele from international backgrounds. However, anyone is welcome to attend!
The cost of the workshop is $45, which covers your snacks and refreshments, training materials, and Certificate of Completion. We have 7 workshops scheduled for the remainder of 2022. These workshops will be held in-person at International House. There are only 15 seats available for each session, so please reserve your spot early.
You can find the schedule for the upcoming sessions below:
· Friday, October 21 from 8-12:30 PM
· Wednesday, October 26th from 8-12:30 PM
· Monday, November 8th 12-4:30 PM
· Friday, November 18th from 8-12:30 PM
· Tuesday, November 29 from 12-4:30 PM
· Wednesday, December 7 from 8-12:30 PM
· Thursday, December 15 from 12-4:30 PM
Anyone who would like to register for an upcoming workshop can do so on our website here
Please feel free to forward this email to anyone you think might be interested in this professional development program! I’ve attached a flyer to this email which summarizes this information as well.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I hope to see you at an upcoming workshop this fall!
3. General Information
4 STEPS TO VOTING
Step 1: Confirm your registration.
· Other states: Vote411.org
If you are not already registered, these websites can also help you register.
Step 2: Make a voting plan.
· Do you want to vote on campus, in your home county, or in your home state?
· Do you want to vote absentee, early in person, or on election day November 8?
Here is a great resource for North Carolina students – it can help you make a plan to vote on campus, in your NC home county, or in your home state.
Step 3: Research the candidates so you can be an educated voter.
Possible sources include:
· Local media (newspaper, NPR, etc.)
· Candidate forums
· Vote411.org – nonpartisan website
Step 4: Vote!
EVEN MORE VOTING INFORMATION TO SHARE
With early voting starting next week on Thursday, October 20th, now is the perfect time to help everyone in your community get ready to vote and encourage voting during the early voting period - the one time when everyone who is eligible to vote in North Carolina can register and vote at the same time, and can vote at ANY early voting location in their home county!
Looking for your county’s one-stop early voting sites? Check the NC Board of Elections One-Stop Early Voting search tool to find locations and times of all the early voting sites in your county. Early Voting remains open through Saturday, November 5. If you plan to register and vote at the same time, be sure to bring accepted proof of residency, as explained here.
Want to find a sample ballot or check on your voter registration status? You can do both through the NC Board of Elections’ online Voter Search tool. Note that if you aren’t currently registered to vote in your county - or if your registration is at an old address - you can register or update your voter registration at a One-Stop Early Voting site, but you won’t be able to register and vote on Election Day. Tip: All registered voters can find a sample ballot by searching for themselves, clicking on their name, and scrolling down to a section titled “Your Sample Ballot.” From there, you’ll need to click on the entry near the middle of your screen (it might look something like B0002 or B0004).
Interested in learning more about the candidates on your ballot? We encourage everyone in the nonprofit sector to read the responses to the Center’s nationally acclaimed candidate questionnaire! Simply click on your county to search for responses by local candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives, NC Senate, and NC House. For more information, voters may also wish to consult the VOTE411.org voters’ guide.
Once you’re ready to vote, make an early voting plan - and encourage others to do so, too!
Want more support preparing for this fall’s general election?
The Center is offering a webinar for nonprofits on the 2022 election on October 14
from 10-11 a.m. Register today!
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
JOB OPPORTUNITY: Action NC Housing Justice CANVASSER
HELP CHARLOTTE CROP WALK STOP HUNGER
PRAYER FOR NONPROFIT LEADERS
Next meeting – Two weeks from today - Thursday at 11 a.m.
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