CCM February 2024 Perspective Newsletter

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the full Strategic Plan
CCM’S STRONG FOOD PROGRAM IS ONLY POSSIBLE THROUGH COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS.
Cabarrus County is distinctive in having a long history of collaboration between non-profits, the faith
community, and government agencies in helping members of the community in need. That legacy of
partnerships continues today, and certainly is evident with the CCM Food Program.
Our single most significant partner is the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina (SHFBM) in Charlotte.
About 75% of the food we receive comes directly or indirectly through them. Not only do we receive
the USDA TEFAP food through them (160 tons of food a year!), but they also coordinate all the store
“rescued” food we receive weekly (mostly perishables). Moreover, we are able to purchase bulk food at
wholesale prices through them. They also provide the “backpack” food that we share with several area
schools and all the food distributed through our mobile food pantries.
The families who come to our Food Pantries receive lots of
great fresh-from-the-farm (or garden) produce, because of our
wonderful partnerships with organizations such as The Society
of St. Andrew (SSA-the gleaners), the Lomax Research Farm,
the YMCA’s Share the Harvest Farm, and the community gardens
at Calvary Lutheran Church and Bethpage Presbyterian Church
of Kannapolis. At this time of the year, clients have the option to
receive frozen venison as a result of our partnerships with the
Concord Wildlife Alliance and Farmers & Hunters Feeding the
Hungry.
Other partnerships help us to get food to those in need. About
once or twice a month, we will provide a box of heart-healthy
food for the Community Paramedics to deliver to someone in
need who just got out of the hospital. Last year we piloted a
program of assembling and distributing a box of healthy food
and resources especially for expectant mothers. The Cabarrus
SECOND
HARVESTFOOD
OF METROLINA
PROVIDES
CCM WITH
75%
OF OUR
FOOD
Health Alliance’s clinics, a couple of Atrium Health OB/GYN clinics, and the Gate Pregnancy Centers
collaborated with us in distributing those boxes to pregnant women identified as being food insecure.
Some partnerships work both ways. We have a relationship with Feeding Kannapolis Hunger (FKH), who
in turn works with the Society of St. Andrew and the Piedmont Research Farm to bring pallets of fresh
eggs into our community to be distributed through our pantries, the FKH bi-monthly food giveaways,
and through other food pantries in our region. At the end of each Friday we share any leftover produce
and bakery items with the food programs at St. James the Greater Catholic Church. They in turn will
share with us a lot of excess non-perishables from their pantry. Also, a volunteer from St. James Catholic
brings us rescued bakery items from Publix. Then we will give him #10 cans of veggies and other
commercial-size food items (too large for our pantry families) to take to the Operation Homeless Soup
Kitchen in Kannapolis.
We are grateful to God for each of these relationships and how they help to get food into the homes
of families in need. We appreciate greatly the collaborative nature of our community, and will continue
working hard in fostering that atmosphere. One of our plans is to establish a Community Bulk Food
Warehouse at the Brown Mill site, to provide a place for various partners to store pallets of food
until needed.
BANK