https://www.adajenkins.org/

Provides financial assistance, case management, and outreach to individuals experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. Supports local students through a free afterschool academic program.

Programs: Economic Mobility & LEARN Works

Liaison: Lisa Delano (mybrowneyedgirls@msn.com)

Their Economic Mobility program provides critical financial assistance, care coordination, short-term case management, and outreach services to individuals experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. This assistance helps under-resourced individuals and families remain employed, keep utilities connected, and avoid eviction.

LEARN Works is a well-respected, free, afterschool academic program for local students (K-5) who are 1-2 grade levels behind their peers. They have two locations, their headquarters in Davidson and Huntersville Elementary School. They also hold a Summer Camp, focusing on minimizing or eliminating summer learning loss.

Engagement and Volunteer Opportunities

-) Participate in Ada Jenkins’ education summit, affordability, and belonging workshops to gain more awareness about the needs of the community.

-) Volunteer for the Point in Time Count, a federally required annual snapshot of the number of people experiencing homelessness in Mecklenburg County, used to guide funding, planning, and services.

-) DUMC provides snacks for the LEARN Works program 1- 2 days each week. Volunteer to contribute.

-) Be a regular weekly LEARN Works volunteer or a classroom helper during longer break periods in January and May.

-) Provide meals/snacks for students during Camp LEARN Works in the summer

A holistic Christian non-profit with programs in Guatemala in Wellness, Economic Development, Education, and Community and Spiritual Relations.

Programs: Community Development, Medical/Dental, Non-Scholarship Education, and Spiritual and Community Relations.

Executive Director: Mike Spencer allinguatemala1@gmail.com, 704-634-4006

Liaison: Donna Warren

Founded by DUMC members, this mission focuses on rural communities in the Highlands of Guatemala. Each of their programs is designed to help the entire family. They believe infants are especially impacted by the improved purity of the water they drink and the air they breathe. Once families can spend less of their time and income getting wood for stoves and clean water, they are able to work that brings in income and improved financial security. AIG has local infrastructure and several coordinators and professional teachers in Guatemala and conducts an annual week-long trip there each March.

Community Development Program Empowers local communities to improve financial stability, education, and wellness though programs for subsidized propane stoves, water filter systems, and microfinance loans. 

Each of their programs is designed to help the entire family. Infants are especially impacted by the improved purity of the water they drink and the air they breathe. Once families can spend less of their time and income getting wood for stoves and clean water, they are able to find work that brings in income and improved financial security.

Medical/Dental Program Provides access to medical and dental care for Indigenous Mayan descendant residents living in remote highlands areas that would otherwise have virtually no healthcare.

Our annual short-term medical mission in Chichicastenango, Guatemala, is supported through a local host health agency, Salud y Paz, that provides transportation, trilingual interpreters, pharmaceuticals, and a resource for follow-up care. Each day of the trip, the medical and dental volunteers travel from our base in Chichicastenango to remote communities and set up temporary MASH-like clinics. They typically care for around 400 patients each year during their five clinic days.

Patients of all ages are interviewed, screened and then undergo specific medical and/or dental evaluation. The team manages common health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, infectious diseases, gynecological disorders, pregnancies, childhood diseases, and dental decay. They can perform minor medical procedures and extractions, provide appropriate medications, and reading glasses and sunglasses. 

Non-Scholarship Education Program. Provides Spanish, English, and computer classes to children and adults, and a Learning Center with internet capabilities for research.

Spiritual and Community Relations Program In addition to the inherent value of this program, building relationships is pivotal to the success of the other programs. They provide supplies and train church leaders to run Bible School with children and sponsor Soccer and Basketball Sports Camps with children and teens.

We attended the dedication of the new sanctuary of the Chucam Methodist church in 2024. The Berta Spencer Women’s Bible Study room in this church was sponsored by donations received in Berta’s honor.

Engagement and Volunteer Opportunities:

-) Participate in the annual mission trip (typically first and second week of March. Commitment date is Oct,1). Depending on experience, volunteers may provide medical care or support, evaluate and improve our water filtration and micro-finance loan programs. evaluate classroom experience and our learning center, interact with teachers, and develop relationships with the Guatemala community.

-) Help with or support the fundraising Guatemalan craft sale at Christmas in Davidson, DUMC mission mall and other events.

-) Become a regular supporter/donor.

-) Volunteer on an AIG committee and or the board, or assist committee leaders.

-) Donate items for the trip via the Make-A-Difference Collection, typically in January.

-) Donate laptop computers or prepare them for use.

-) DUMC UWF group provides care bags for women.

-) Children can write a greeting card for trip volunteers.

https://angelsandsparrows.org/

Addresses educational and other needs of both adults and children leading to significant progress in increasing household income and security.

Program: Pathway Program

Liaison:

Pathway Program Equips both adults and children in economically challenged families with the foundational education courses, resources, and tools needed to end the cycle of food insecurity and poverty.

The Pathway Program's two-generation approach recognizes that a child's success is interconnected and interdependent upon the success of the adult in their life and that addressing the needs of both will lead to significant improvements in household income and stability and improve a family's chances of achieving upward mobility.

Pathway Program participants participate in ESL or GED classes. Adults who obtain their high school equivalency diploma and/or achieve English proficiency can then pursue post-secondary education opportunities at CPCC or other vocational training initiatives

School-aged youth participate in a companion reading program and subject matter tutoring. Teens participate in tutoring, mentoring, college & career readiness workshops, and if applicable, ACT/SAT prep courses.

They offer access to wraparound services including transportation assistance, childcare assistance, access to mental health providers, and emergency financial assistance. They have approximately 100 volunteers who serve as Reading Buddies to Pathway youth and Site Coordinators on the evening of classes.

Engagement and Volunteer Opportunities:

-) Pathway Reading Buddy and Site Coordinator volunteer opportunities require a semester long commitment.

-) A few times during the school year a group of volunteers are needed to keep school-age participants busy with activities such as crafts or games.

-) Host a book drive for the “Read a Book, Earn a Book” initiative.

-) Hold a food collection for specific snack items for Pathway participants.

-) DUMC Care Ministers could extend their services to Pathway families who may require a listening ear amid life’s challenges.

https://bagsofhopelkn.com

Provides food to area schoolchildren in need.

Program: Backpack Program

Liaison: Ashley Nydish

Bags of Hope seeks to bring hope to the Lake Norman and greater Charlotte area by supplying free weekend food provisions to school children who experience food insecurity. In Mecklenburg County, 1 out of 6 children live in food insecure homes.

Nearly half of Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools’ 143,000 students receive free meals. While many students may receive free/reduced breakfast and lunch at school, they may fail to find adequate nutrition at home.

Our program currently serves an average of 600 students each weekend in 30 local area schools.

The goal of our weekend food bags is to fill the gap between when students leave school on Friday afternoon and return on Monday morning.

The 30 schools currently served are in 3 counties –Mecklenburg, Iredell, and Cabarrus. Our warehouse is located on Bailey Rd. in Cornelius, where food is received, sorted, packed, stored and prepared for distribution.

Engagement and Volunteer Opportunities:

-) Volunteer to help execute our backpack program each week by packing food bags, driving bags to schools, and helping with other tasks in the warehouse. Packing events are attended by individuals, as well as groups from businesses, service clubs and organizations. Sign up to be on our public packing event volunteer list to be notified of packing opportunities.

-) Volunteer to deliver bags to schools, organize food drives or support one of our annual food drives held at the beginning of the school year, Thanksgiving, Winter Break and Spring Break.

-) Join the UWF Sharing Circle in volunteering once a month to focus on packing allergy bags for students with special dietary needs.

-) Participate in packing events during DUMC Mission Impact weeks through the year.

-) Contribute food during our DUMC Make-a-Difference Collections (usually September).

https://bohnc.org

Provides healthy snacks, hygiene kits, and emergency supplies to schoolchildren in need.

Program: Caring for Children.

Liaison: Kyle Steiner

The Caring for Children Program provides hygiene kits, healthy snack bags, and emergency Go Bags directly to over 50 public schools across northern Mecklenburg County, Iredell Statesville School System, Mooresville Graded School District, with plans to expand into Lincoln and Rowan Counties in 2026. We also serve children attending the Ada Jenkins Center, the Cornelius Early Scholar program, and Brookstone School.

The items are stocked in school Care Cupboards, allowing counselors to discreetly provide support to students facing food insecurity or lack of hygiene supplies. During emergencies, BOH supplied Go Bags containing sleeping bags, pillows, hygiene items, and snacks to families in crisis. All items are placed directly in the schools.

Engagement and Volunteer Opportunities:

-) We provide meaningful service opportunities for individuals as young as six years old.

-) Volunteers may assemble hygiene or snack kits at our Mooresville location or at DUMC.

-) Serve as delivery drivers in any of the four counties we serve.

-) Host collection drives for snacks and hygiene supplies.

cookcommunityclinic.org

Offers comprehensive health services to low-income uninsured individuals and families in Mecklenburg and S. Iredell counties.

Liaison: Judy Martin

For the past 27 years, CCC has offered medical services at no cost to uninsured patients who reside in its service area and have incomes below 250% of the federal poverty level.

Organizational values: Eliminating barriers and creating a safe and welcoming environment that encourages engagement. Facilitating partnerships to advocate for patients' needs and support improved health outcomes. Providing a human-centered approach to care. Striving to achieve positive health outcomes through innovation, operational excellence and commitment. Ensuring fair treatment for all members of our community, creating a pathway for improving the health of the individual and community. Patient-Centered.

Many uninsured individuals delay care because of cost, leading to higher rates of chronic disease, poorer outcomes, and ultimately more expensive emergency and specialty visits. The Cook Community Clinic works to reduce these disparities by providing accessible, preventive, and coordinated care for uninsured community members. They prioritize early detection, better long-term outcomes, equitable access to care, and sustainable reductions in costs.

Their Community Health Worker (CHW) builds trusted, ongoing relationships with patients and helps address social drivers of health that directly impact well-being, including food insecurity, housing instability, transportation barriers, and limited access to basic resources. By linking patients to medical care, social support, and follow-up services, the CHW increases patient engagement, strengthens adherence to treatment plans, and advances health equity across the communities we serve.

Engagement and Volunteer Opportunities:

-) Because a significant portion of their patients are Spanish speaking, bilingual volunteers are essential.

In addition, their Clinic Champion Volunteers share their mission with the broader community, raise awareness about their work, and help inspire both financial and community support.

Offers 5-star, full-time, affordable early education and childcare with scholarship support.

Liaison: Jeri Krentz

The Davidson-Cornelius Child Development Center offers high-quality, affordable early childhood education in a safe, nurturing and diverse environment. The program supports low-income families, enabling workforce stability and economic independence. The scholarship program serves as a critical lifeline and promotes self-sufficiency, workforce stability, and long-term wellbeing. This program provides up to 95% tuition assistance to eligible families.

Engagement and Volunteer Opportunities:

-) Volunteers can assist teachers by supporting daily activities, interacting with the children during learning centers, helping with transitions, preparing materials, and providing extra hands during instruction time.

-) Volunteer teams may assist with outdoor landscaping and beautification projects, such as planting flowers, maintaining playground areas, or enhancing outdoor learning spaces.

-) Skilled volunteers may assist with minor building maintenance and repair projects, such as painting, basic repairs, or general upkeep.

www.feednc.org

Provides supplementary food assistance to families. Also serves hot meals and offers job placement programs and a free community education initiative.

Program: Grassroots Grocery

Liaison: Tom Peckham

FeedNC is guided by a mission to create meaningful connections to food, education, and essential resources as a catalyst for lasting change. Rooted in values of dignity, compassion, and community, the organization is committed to serving neighbors in ways that reduce stigma and foster belonging. Each of its programs—from community dining to workforce development train for careers in the culinary and warehouse industries—is intentionally designed to honor the humanity of those it serves, recognizing that barriers like shame and social isolation often prevent individuals from seeking help.

The Grassroots Grocery program is a cornerstone of FeedNC’s efforts to address food insecurity in the community. Serving thousands of neighbors annually, the program provides consistent access to fresh produce, meats, pantry staples, and hygiene products for households meeting income eligibility guidelines. Participants schedule weekly visits and select items based on their needs, empowering them to make healthy choices while preserving autonomy. This approach not only improves access to nutritious food, but also supports better health outcomes and financial stability by allowing families to redirect limited resources toward housing, healthcare, and other critical expenses.

Engagement and Volunteer Opportunities:

Volunteer opportunities are available for youth (aged 11-17), adults, and groups!

-) Volunteers may receive and sort deliveries of donated and rescued food.

-) Work in “Mimi’s Garden,” a one-acre food producing garden, whose produce is used in the culinary program and the Community Dining area.

-) Stock shelves or serve as a grocery guide in their Grassroots Grocery

-) Take orders, or prepare or serve meals in their Community Dining area.

-) Children 10 and under are not able to volunteer in FeedNC during guest operation hours. Young children can collect items or come for a tour. They can deliver items collected, make decorations, create placemats, and many other fun activities

www.fifthstreetministries.com/my-sisters-house

Serves women and children fleeing domestic or sexual violence. Provides accommodation at the house, hospital and court advocacy, peer support, and case management services.

Program: My Sister’s House

Liaison: Polly Kimmel

Fifth Street Ministries is a faith-based nonprofit dedicated to serving, through compassionate support and advocacy, those who are homeless, hungry and/or victims of domestic and sexual violence.

My Sister’s House (MSH) provides emergency shelter and support for women and children escaping violence, with advocacy, counseling, and case management. Their 32-bed shelter for women and children is designed to provide both comfort and dignity.

Additional services include hospital and court advocacy, peer support and individualized case management.

In 2024, My Sister’s House served 99 survivors of domestic violence, including 51 children, who collectively spent 5,627 nights in shelter. Staff provided 1,053 counseling sessions to 127 individuals, 549 advocacy services to 310 people, and answered 699 calls through the 24-hour crisis line.

Engagement and Volunteer Opportunities:

-) A pool of dependable volunteers is much needed.

-) Volunteers may serve as support staff at My Sister’s House during overnight hours or on weekends or holidays.

-) Volunteers may help prepare meals for shelter residents

-) Answer crisis hotline after-hours, conduct data entry tasks

-) Help provide transportation for victims of domestic violence to court, jobs, doctor’s appointments etc.

-) Buildings and grounds maintenance.

-) Share the needs of Fifth Street Ministries with others to increase number of volunteers and financial donations.

https://www.habitatcltregion.org/

Nurtures prosperous and vibrant communities through working alongside people to build safe and affordable housing.

Program: Critical Home Repair Support, Davidson

Liaison: Bill Handel

Critical Home Repair serves homeowners who face significant barriers to addressing high-cost repairs. Many participants are older adults living on fixed incomes. Repairs resolve safety hazards and failing systems that threaten long-term occupancy. Completed repairs allow homeowners to remain safely housed and maintain stability instead of experiencing displacement caused by deteriorating housing conditions. 

Each home receives a comprehensive assessment by professionals. Habitat staff join the assessment to document conditions, identify safety concerns, estimate carpentry work, and collect details needed to plan the project. Habitat then coordinates licensed subcontractors and internal construction staff to complete the work, following a defined repair sequence that supports safe and orderly execution. 

A strategic, coordinated approach ensures that homeowners receive a reliable, well-managed repair process from the first point of contact through final completion.

Engagement and Volunteer Opportunities:

Volunteer support plays an important role in connecting the congregation with Habitat’s work in the region.

-) Volunteers can support half-day shifts that include organizing donations, preparing items for the sales floor, and assisting customers. The Cornelius ReStore accommodates small groups and provides regular opportunities seven days a week.

-) Occasional Critical Home Repair volunteer activities are available when projects include tasks suitable for volunteers, such as exterior preparation, light site cleanup, or other non-technical work.

-) Additional volunteer opportunities include Welcome Home activities that can take place at DUMC. Volunteers can assemble ribbon wreaths, paint doormats, or prepare notes of encouragement for partner families.

-) Volunteers can participate in the Lake Norman area working on new builds. Activities may include framing, hanging drywall, painting, trim work, hanging doors, installing windows and siding, and cleanup.

https://hopehousefoundation.org/

Provides temporary housing and support services for women and children who are experiencing transitional homelessness

Program: Children’s Social and Emotional Development

Liaison: Eric and Charlotte Franzen, Cindy Richardson

Hope House Foundation provides transitional housing and supportive services for women and children experiencing homelessness. Guided by its mission to “Give Hope, Change Lives,” HHF creates a healing environment that promotes stability, independence, and dignity. Through its teaching home model, the organization helps clients build life, financial, and employment skills while supporting mental wellness, emotional growth, and long-term self-sufficiency.

HHF’s programs combine safe housing with comprehensive support services such as case management, counseling, job training, education, childcare, and financial assistance. Using a two-generation approach, the organization works with both mothers and children to strengthen family well-being and create pathways toward economic mobility. By focusing on empowerment and accountability, HHF helps families overcome barriers, gain stability, and build stronger futures.

A core value of HHF is fostering a compassionate, inclusive community where every client feels respected and heard. The organization promotes diversity, equitable access to services, and collaboration with local partners to reduce barriers and strengthen community support systems. HHF also provides social, emotional, and developmental opportunities for children, including the planned Grace Play Space, a nature-inspired area designed to promote healing, resilience, confidence, and healthy childhood development.

Engagement and Volunteer Opportunities:

-) Volunteer at the Hope House Foundation by offering time, talents, and in-kind gifts.

-) Help with furnishing and maintaining the house, providing food for their pantry, and caring for their children.

-) Mentor to work one-on-one with children enrolled in their programs.

-) Serve as a member of the Board of Directors to contribute to this nine-member working board.

https://www.laescuelitabp.org/

A bilingual preschool focused on preparing Spanish-speaking and English-speaking children for kindergarten and offering parent workshops, ESL resources, literacy programs, and connections to services related to healthcare, housing, immigration, and food assistance.

Program: Multi-Age Afternoon Program

Liaison:

La Escuelita Bilingual Preschool is a bilingual preschool focused on preparing Spanish-speaking and English-speaking children for kindergarten through a hands-on, science-based, and play-centered curriculum. The school emphasizes collaborative and joyful learning while fostering language development, literacy, social-emotional growth, and cultural confidence. Its mission is rooted in addressing the educational and cultural barriers many Spanish-speaking immigrant families face when entering traditional public schools. By offering two years of bilingual preschool education, the program seeks to build school readiness, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning.

The preschool also prioritizes family and community support. In addition to classroom instruction, it offers parent workshops, ESL resources, literacy programs, and connections to services related to healthcare, housing, immigration, and food assistance. Tuition assistance plays a major role in ensuring accessibility, with most Spanish-speaking families receiving scholarships and many paying significantly reduced tuition. The organization is funded largely through private donors and corporate sponsors, including support from Ingersoll Rand and its leadership. The school views early childhood enrichment as both a pathway to long-term academic success and a cost-effective alternative to later remediation programs.

Engagement and Volunteer Opportunities:

-) Volunteer as a classroom assistant for dramatic play, emphasizing speech and activities in a center, or taking photos for the parent app.

-) Volunteer to teach playground games.

-) Serve as a special guest for planned activities such as dance, sports, woodwork, and cooking.

-) Volunteer as a garden maintenance assistant for weeding and seasonal duties.

https://www.ymcacharlotte.org/day-camp 

Their 12-week summer day camp engages children and teens in physical activity, intellectual challenges, and social interaction. Scholarships remove financial barriers.

Program: The Lake Norman YMCA Summer Camp

Liaison: Nancy Young

The Lake Norman YMCA, part of the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, is committed to empowering youth through programs that promote health, character, and community connection. Its mission is to put Christian principles into practice, fostering a healthy spirit, mind, and body, with core values of love, respect, compassion, and belonging. The organization aims to develop confident, responsible, and connected individuals, emphasizing relationships with self, others, nature, and God. The vision is to create thriving, empowered communities dedicated to well-being.

The Summer Camp (June – August) serves children aged 5-12 in Davidson, Cornelius, Huntersville, and parts of Mooresville, providing full-day care from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. It emphasizes outdoor education, water safety, lakefront activities, team building, and environmental exploration, fostering personal growth, confidence, and lifelong skills. It promotes outdoor adventure, including paddle sports, fishing, archery, and water activities, with a focus on connection to nature and community.

DUMC has supported youth and summer camp programs for over 27 years. Scholarship funding increases access for families facing financial hardship, ensuring equitable participation. The camp serves over 900 children annually, providing safe, engaging childcare and enabling parents to work confidently.

Engagement and Volunteer Opportunities:

-) Camps run seasonally. Volunteer opportunities are offered weekly throughout the summer. Volunteers can help with literacy by reading to campers, or assist with visual arts, dance, soccer, or teach specialist subjects.

-) Volunteer workdays for pre-camp setup and post-camp wrap up are critical.

-) Specific DUMC work or serve days can be set up for groups.

-) Volunteers are needed for the 4-week summer Y Readers program, which takes place at Cornelius Elementary School. This program serves students in K–3rd grade who are reading below grade level. Book Buddies read one-on-one with children in for four weeks (one hour per week). https://ymcacharlotte.volunteermatters.org/project-catalog/97. 

Promotes community inclusion, independence, and growth for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through residential, employment, and cultural enrichment. Our focus is on the Barnabas House in Cornelius.

Program: Barnabas House, Cornelius

Liaison: George Kelly

Monarch is a behavioral health and human services organization dedicated to providing hope, promoting wellness, and empowering individuals and families impacted by mental illness, substance use disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), and traumatic brain injury. Monarch’s work is guided by values of integrity, compassion, respect, excellence, courage, and innovation, emphasizing ethical care, inclusion, dignity, and continuous improvement in serving vulnerable populations.

The Barnabas Home is one of Monarch’s residential programs serving men with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Formerly operated by UMAR, the home provides a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment where residents can live with dignity, independence, and community connection. Staff members offer personalized support with daily living, medication management, skill-building, behavioral support, and meaningful recreational and social opportunities.

The impact of Barnabas Home extends beyond individual residents to the broader community. By integrating individuals with I/DD into neighborhood settings rather than isolating them in institutions, the home helps foster inclusion, understanding, and compassion within the community. Residents are able to form relationships, pursue hobbies, celebrate milestones, and contribute to the life of the neighborhood, while neighbors gain greater awareness and appreciation of people with disabilities as active and valued community members.

Engagement and Volunteer Opportunities:

-) Help brighten the shared spaces at Barnabas Home by assisting with painting a few common rooms—a great way to bring color and joy into the residents’ everyday environment.

-) Teach residents how to grow vegetables and herbs. Tending the garden together and harvesting the crops can be a meaningful experience for all.

-) Rebuild a mentoring group for our male residents, where you can offer friendship, guidance, and support. Sharing a meal afterward would be a wonderful way to deepen those relationships.

Offers life/job skills training, family development programs, and academic enrichment to families in the East Catawba corridor. Our congregation’s generous contributions of school supplies support their back-to-school program.

Program: Y-life (youth development) Project
Liaison: Amanda Chaney

The Neighborhood Care Center’s mission is to serve families in Cornelius through Christ-centered programs that promote love, growth, and community engagement. The Y-Life program supports disadvantaged youth from middle school through high school, emphasizing spiritual, personal, and academic development and contributes to breaking cycles of poverty.

The program includes volunteer opportunities, retreats, summer camps, mission trips, mentorship, tutoring, career and college planning, financial literacy, and community service. Participants complete 60 hours of community service annually, with a graduation ceremony and provision of laptops for seniors.

Y-Life serves at-risk youth, including those referred by juvenile courts or school counselors, with a comprehensive, evidence-based model. It offers life and job skills training, academic support, leadership development, and experiential learning through mission trips and camps. As students approach graduation, they participate in intensive career and college exploration, résumé building, and mentorship via the Pathfinders Program.

The program’s impact extends to community engagement, with students actively involved in local outreach, fostering civic responsibility.

Engagement and Volunteer Opportunities:

-) Back to School – Participate in DUMC’s July Make-a-Difference school supplies collection. Fill backpacks, provided by the NCC, with school supplies. These are donated to area children who are under-resourced.

-) Youth Support and Tutoring –Serve as tutors or classroom assistants in NCC youth programs, supporting students with homework, academic enrichment, and life-skills activities during after-school or evening sessions.

-) Mentorship for High School Students –Serve as mentors for students pursuing college or technical trades by providing guidance in goal setting, career exploration, résumé development, mock interviews, and encouragement as students prepare for their next steps after graduation.

-) Community Food Distribution and Outreach – Volunteers can assist with food distribution efforts by helping pack, distribute, or organize food for individuals and families in the local community experiencing food insecurity.

Their mission is to create and execute a neighborhood-led, comprehensive Historic Smithville revitalization plan that serves residents’ needs, supports an abundant and equitable life for all, and expands affordable and workforce housing in Cornelius.

Program: Aging in Place and Financial Empowerment program

Liaison: Dawne Kakitsis

The Smithville Community Coalition is dedicated to preserving the historic Smithville community, the largest intact African American neighborhood in Mecklenburg County, by helping long-time residents remain safely in their homes. Many elders in Smithville have lived in their homes for decades, building lives rooted in family, faith, and community.

The Coalition’s mission is to prevent displacement—from rising housing costs, deferred repairs, and financial strain—by providing housing stabilization, advocacy, and supportive services that allow seniors to age in place with dignity, safety, and peace of mind.

The Aging in Place and Financial Empowerment program combines housing support with financial literacy education to help seniors better manage property taxes, insurance, maintenance costs, and long-term financial planning. Participants receive guidance on budgeting, accessing housing resources, and navigating systems that can otherwise feel overwhelming. The program also strengthens community leadership by supporting residents in earning HUD housing counseling certification, creating trusted local advocates who can help neighbors remain housed and financially stable.

By combining housing stabilization, financial empowerment, and resident-led leadership development, the program not only helps seniors remain in their homes but also preserves the community’s cultural legacy and strengthens long-term neighborhood stability.

Engagement and Volunteer Opportunities:

-) Volunteers can serve as community ambassadors at local events, including the Cornelius Jazz Festival and related vendor events. Volunteers can help share information about the program, connect seniors to resources, and represent a welcoming church presence within the Smithville community.

-) Participate in quarterly community meetings. Attend, listen, and build authentic relationships with residents by engaging in conversation, sharing stories, and learning directly from seniors about their experiences and needs.

-) Participate in hands-on support through assisting with event setup, distributing program information, supporting senior check-ins, or helping with the maintenance and preservation of the program’s office home.

https://thechristianmission.org/

Through its comprehensive services and community programs, this center serves as catalyst to transform lives, alleviate suffering, and break the cycle of generational poverty.

Program: Rent and Utility Assistance

Liaison:

The Christian Mission provides crisis assistance, case management, and education, to help low-income individuals and families in southern Iredell County move from immediate crisis to long-term stability and self-sufficiency. Its services focus on three areas: rent, utility, food, and clothing assistance; case management and support services; and life skills, job readiness, and poverty education programs. Guided by values of service, trust, compassion, and dignity, it seeks to ensure every person feels supported, hopeful, and empowered.

The Rent and Utility Assistance Program provides short-term financial support to households facing housing instability due to job loss, medical emergencies, reduced income, or other unexpected hardships. The program helps prevent eviction, utility shutoffs, and homelessness by covering past-due rent and essential utilities such as electricity, water, and gas. Assistance is provided directly to landlords or utility providers and is paired with supportive services like financial education, employment referrals, and housing counseling to address the root causes of instability and reduce future crises.

Homelessness can contribute to health issues, food insecurity, learning disabilities, and emotional challenges in children. Stable housing helps families maintain employment, keeps children in school, and reduces strain on public systems.

Engagement and Volunteer Opportunities:

-) Accompany and assist clients with their pantry shopping and/or stocking shelves.

-) Keep the Resource Store clean and stocked with clothing and household goods.

-) Partner with a senior in our community, shop for them in our pantry, deliver groceries to their home, and provide companionship.

-) Help with administrative tasks.

-) Prepare and donate a meal for approximately 35 people. Meals are served weekly.

-) Pick up food from local grocery stores and deliver it to The Christian Mission.

-) Assist with receiving and sorting donations.

-) Assist with the annual Turkey Trot 5K – helping with registrations, water stations etc.

-) Other special events include Christmas Angels, Easter, food/coat drives

Zoe Empowers equips orphaned and vulnerable youth to overcome extreme poverty permanently through a three-year empowerment program. Its mission is to help young people become secure, healthy, and connected by addressing the root causes of poverty rather than providing temporary relief. Participants receive training and support in areas such as food security, shelter, health and hygiene, education or vocational training, business development, community reintegration, and spiritual growth. Through peer-led support groups, youth gain the skills, confidence, and community support needed to become fully self-sufficient, with Zoe reporting that 95% of participants achieve long-term independence by the end of the program.

Davidson United Methodist Church has partnered with Zoe Empowers for 17 years. Since becoming an independent nonprofit in 2013, Zoe has expanded its work to 12 countries across Africa and India, serving approximately 85,000 vulnerable children and youth in 2025 alone.

Zoe Empowers’ impact is demonstrated through stories of transformation and leadership. Participants who once faced homelessness, hunger, or hopelessness have become entrepreneurs, employers, and community leaders. Youth not only improve their own lives but also strengthen their communities through projects focused on health, sanitation, and economic development. What makes Zoe unique is its holistic and sustainable model: rather than creating long-term dependence on aid, the program equips vulnerable youth with the tools, resources, and support systems needed to build stable, meaningful lives and break the cycle of poverty for good.

Engagement and Volunteer Opportunities:

-) Travel to Kenya to see the empowerment program in person. Some of our congregation have already participated in one of their “Vision Trips.”

-) Join in on a Virtual Trip via Zoom video calls. You will meet Zoe youth to hear their stories, offer encouragement, and ask questions. The young people may also ask questions of you! Virtual trips typically last one hour and there is no charge.

-) Join with others to collectively fund an empowerment group with a small monthly gift.