CHARLOTTE — In a remarkable partnership, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as the Mormon Church) donated more than 10,000 pounds of food for families in need to the Catholic Charities food pantry in Charlotte March 25.
The churches enlisted logistical help from Loaves & Fishes, a Charlotte nonprofit that also provides food for the hungry, which transported the food donation to Catholic Charities to distribute directly to people in need.
The partnership was born last year as the pandemic hit and the Mormon Church was among those stepping up to help stock Catholic Charities’ Charlotte food pantry. The church grows its own food on farms for charitable distribution around the country, and counts more than 70 congregations in western North Carolina. Since the beginning of 2020, it has delivered more than 2 million pounds of food to the Carolinas from its main food production site in Salt Lake City. Other recent donations have included 104 Rubbermaid Easter “baskets” filled with items for the Charlotte food pantry, provided by families from St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, and hats and scarves for Catholic Charities to give people during food pantry distribution in Winston-Salem, provided by a confirmation student and sponsor from Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in High Point. During the pandemic, Catholic Charities has been serving people in need through its three food pantries in Charlotte, Asheville and Winston-Salem – last year providing 663,000 pounds of food to over 11,000 people.
— Photos provided and via Facebook
At www.ccdoc.org: Learn more about how you can donate, volunteer or give to help Catholic Charities serve people in need across the Diocese of Charlotte
