Latest news with #NourishUp
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Mecklenburg County nonprofit says immigration fears are deterring Latino community from seeking food donations
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A local organization that fights hunger says they're fighting fears among the Latino community. Nourish Up says they're seeing fewer families come in because of immigration concerns. Each carload for home deliveries holds a week's worth of groceries for each client. 'If somebody is hungry, we're going to feed that person,' said Tina Postel, Nourish Up CEO. 'A lot of times they'll say I have no food in my house, there's nothing in my refrigerator,' said John Patrick, a volunteer. But not everyone is showing up to get food. 'It's definitely something that keeps me up at night,' said Postel. Postel says there's one group in particular that's not coming into the dozens of pantries the organization runs in Mecklenburg County. 'If you are too afraid to go to school or go to your job, you also don't want to be visiting a grocery store,' said Postel. She says they've seen a drop of three percent in the number of Latino families getting food at Nourish Up so far this year compared with last. 'That tells me there's a lot of fear among the Latino community,' said Postel. Nourish Up had a plan to help people who were afraid to come and get food, so they set the wheels in motion to do just that, but there's an issue. 'We can leave groceries for you in a contactless delivery at your doorstep,' said Postel. But she says they don't have enough volunteers to get the food out for home deliveries. 'Sometimes they're waiting days longer than they would need to if we had more volunteers,' said Postel. John Patrick has been helping for years. 'I'm not blessing anyone the way I see it. I'm the one being blessed,' said Patrick. He hopes others will see the need and step up to feed as many as they can. 'Citizenship is not a question that we ask. We believe that food is a basic human right here at Nourish Up,' said Postel. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Clean the Queen effort rallies Charlotte volunteers ahead of Earth Day
Tuesday is Earth Day, and Charlotteans are doing their part by participating in cleanups all week long. Channel 9's climate reporter Michelle Alfini introduces a few of the organizers and volunteers who hope this is just the start of getting more involved in making our area greener. All week long, you might see a few yellow vests along Charlotte's streets, cleaning up whatever they could find. ALSO READ: Earth Day 2024: When did it start; how is it celebrated; what can you do? It is part of the Clean the Queen effort, a week-long collaboration between Envision Charlotte, Charlotte Solid Waste Services Department, and Keep Charlotte Beautiful. 'Doing this kind of event really opens people's eyes to this problem,' said Gracie Bartel with Keep Charlotte Beautiful. Bartel is the AmeriCorps environment engagement specialist with Keep Charlotte Beautiful. She said events like this one, especially around Earth Day, are a great way to get people thinking about environmental issues across the city, starting with one that's easy to identify but also overlook. 'Maybe you weren't paying attention while you were driving around,' said Bartel. Organizers said it's not just about getting the big stuff off of our streets, but these tiny pieces of trash that can be easier to miss can cause the biggest problems. 'Those little pieces are what we really want to focus on because that is what can get into our water or get into our soil,' said Bartel. From there, she said it can hurt local wildlife and even enter our drinking water systems. Another way volunteers are trying to reduce waste this week is by learning how to reuse materials that would otherwise head to landfills. ALSO READ: Nourish Up volunteers honor friend's memory through service Esther Moberly told Channel 9 that she had volunteered with Clean the City, but this year she's bringing new friends and co-workers. She said he hoped the event would help open their eyes to environmental concerns across the city, as well as to opportunities to help. 'There are issues. Instead of being at home and being upset about it, get out, do your part, contribute, and learn more about what others are doing. Learn how you can do your part to make a difference,' Moberly said. Several other cleanups have been planned for this week. You learn more here. VIDEO: Nourish Up volunteers honor friend's memory through service
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Thousands gather in Charlotte to participate in national ‘Hands Off!' protest
More than 2,700 people registered to participate in a peaceful protest in Charlotte on Saturday against a 'Trump-Musk billionaire takeover,' organizers said. The 'Hands Off!' Our Government Charlotte Rally started at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday outside the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Social Services Department on Billingsley Road. Protesters marched down Randolph Road to the Mint Museum Randolph, and then returned to their starting point. Organizers said the goal was to represent the 'things people stand to lose, from the arts to medical and social services.' READ: Nourish Up celebrates 50 years of combating food insecurity in Charlotte The protest worked to express that people do not consent to 'the destruction of our government and our economy for the benefit of Trump and his billionaire allies,' organizers said. The event included testimony from those negatively affected by cuts made by the current administration. Protesters in Charlotte said they marched alongside millions nationwide, including several hundred in Rock Hill and Monroe County. Organizers said those marching and rallying were 'protesting to demand a stop to the chaos and build an opposition movement against the looting of our country.' Organizers said the nationwide 'Hands Off!' protests made up the largest single day of action nationally since President Donald Trump took office. The protestors also worked to gather donations for Nourish Up, a non-profit that works to fight hunger insecurity in Charlotte. Participants were encouraged to bring diapers and non-perishable foods to donate. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police closed Randolph Road for nearly an hour during the march. Officials said there were as many as 1,500 marchers. This is a developing story. Check back with for updates. WATCH: Nourish Up celebrates 50 years of combating food insecurity in Charlotte
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Carolina Strong: COVID survivor fulfills promise to become nurse
Five years ago, our community was in the throes of a COVID lockdown. Hundreds of people had already lost their lives to the virus, with hospitals treating patients in hallways. One of those patients was Shirley Hall. She told Channel 9′s Hunter Sáenz that experience struck her to her core, leading her to change careers after 35 years. ALSO READ: Waxhaw dad beats Stage 3 colon cancer, urges vigilance on symptoms 'I was taught to be a giver,' Shirley said. Today, she's a Certified Nurse Assistant, or CNA, at Novant Health Mint Hill. But her job in that particular field is relatively new for her. 'I started out in banking when I was 19 years old,' Shirley said. Shirley spent 35 years in corporate America. 'I loved it in the mortgage department, I was able to help the customers save their homes through foreclosures,' she said. Then – COVID hit. 'I almost feel like we got hit by a time bomb, and we didn't see it coming,' Shirley said. The stay-at-home orders, the masking, the social distancing – restaurants and bars shuttered. 'I became very sad…living alone and kind of being locked out away from the world,' Shirley said. Shirley's daughter and grandkids soon moved in, all of them taking precautions and trying to avoid the virus. But then, the inevitable happened. Her daughter got it first, then Shirley – a fear becoming a reality. 'Honestly, it was, oh, Lord, I don't want to die,' Shirley recalled. ALSO READ: Carolina Strong: Teen keeps brother's memory alive through support for St. Jude Children's Hospital Breathing became a challenge and ultimately, her family called 911. 'I remember hearing one of the paramedics say, I'm surprised you're still alive,' Shirley said. She added, 'As I was being rolled out of my home, I was looking back at my daughter and my boyfriend, and in my mind, I was thinking that this may be the last time that I may see them.' She knew, at the time, dozens of everyday people were going into hospitals with COVID and never coming out. 'I made a promise to God that if he will allow me to live through COVID, I will walk into my purpose and my passion,' Shirley said. A promise to serve, and a promise kept. Two months after her hospital stay, Shirley put in her resignation at the bank: 'I went and got my CNA license.' At 54 years old, a career change – paying it forward from the other side of the stretcher. A healthcare hero proving anything is possible with faith and the beat of a caring heart. When she walks through the doors of Novant Health Mint Hill, Shirley said she feels joy: 'It's the greatest feeling in the world to be able to help everyone that walks through these doors.' And Shirley isn't stopping. She's now in nursing school at age 59. She hopes her story proves you can do anything at any age. WATCH BELOW: Carolina Strong: Nourish Up volunteers honor friend's memory through service
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
USDA program cuts deepening Charlotte food insecurity, food banks say
The United States Department of Agriculture is ending several pandemic-era programs that connected local farmers to food banks and schools. The USDA is ending the Local Food Purchase Cooperative Agreement Program, a program that helps food banks purchase food from local farmers. And some food bank workers told Channel 9′s Erika Jackson it's affecting their ability to help people. Tens of thousands of people in Mecklenburg County rely on Nourish Up, a food pantry and delivery service to keep their families fed and healthy. Nourish Up is a group working to fight food insecurity and provide healthy options within their food pantries, according to CEO Tina Postel. 'We see so many clients who are suffering from diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease. And so if all we have available to feed people are pop-tarts and pastries at the end of the day, we're making their underlying health conditions worse,' Postel said. READ: Food pantry sets new record serving families as need grows Nourish Up served 164,000 people in 2024, a 19% increase from 2023, Postel said. 'There are too many families and seniors on fixed incomes that are struggling to pay rent or pay for, you know, their necessary medications or buy groceries and sadly, rent eats first,' she said. Nourish Up gives each family member it services a box filled with non-perishables alongside fresh foods such as fruits and vegetables. Those foods come from donations and partnerships, Postel said. One of Nourish Up's partners is Second Harvest Food Bank. The USDA LFPA program helped Second Harvest purchase foods from local farmers. Postel said this can affect the quality of food Nourish Up gives out. 'Any cuts to that might mean that we have to purchase more, you know, nonperishable food instead of the fresh, healthy stuff,' she said. Nourish Up has never had to turn people away, Postel said. And that is still top priority. 'That's our goal, is to make sure that everybody has access to food, and so there's no shame in calling us and asking for help,' she said. READ: Charlotte Mecklenburg Library to give out food monthly The USDA also cut the Local Food for Schools and Child Care Cooperative Agreement, a program that helps connect schools and childcare centers to buy food from farmers. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools told Jackson that it spent more than $500,000 in it's current phase of the program. It hopes to continue to the next phase of funding to buy locally grown products. A USDA spokesperson told Jackson that the two programs were pandemic-era programs and have reached their ends. 'The COVID era is over—USDA's approach to nutrition programs will reflect that reality moving forward,' the spokesperson said in a statement. The administration said it is still focused on 'strengthening food security, supporting agricultural markets, and ensuring access to nutritious food.' But the hope is to focus on more long-term solutions, according to a USDA spokesperson. 'Unlike the Biden Administration, which funneled billions in CCC funds into short-term programs with no plan for longevity, USDA is prioritizing stable, proven solutions that deliver lasting impact,' the spokesperson said. The USDA said all existing agreements under the programs will be terminated in the next 60 days. WATCH: Food pantry sets new record serving families as need grows
