Seen Around Church: Week of November 2, 2025
November 5, 2025
You Are Invited! New Details on Matt and Donna’s Retirement Celebrations
November 12, 2025CLICK HERE TO BUY ONLINE
Searching for the perfect Christmas gift can be a challenge – Do I have the right size? Is it something the recipient will treasure? Is it something they will remember? Is it perfect?
When the gift is a book for a child, it’s just the right size. When the gift is access to a hot shower or a well-trained service dog, it is treasured. When the gift is a meal for those who are hungry, it is remembered. All are perfect gifts.
Donating to ministries that support our neighbors in need is an alternative and perfect way to honor loved ones at Christmas. With each purchase you will receive a gift card and note that can be given to your recipient acknowledging the gift that has been given in their honor.
You are invited to shop the SMPC Alternative Gift Market (AGM) in person on Sunday, December 7 from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. in the hallways surrounding the sanctuary.
Purchases may also be made online from November 20-December 25 here:
Cash, debit and credit cards are accepted, as well as checks made out to “SMPC.” Contact: Heather Carpenter or Leanne Royster
The Children’s Market
The Children’s Market, an extension of the Alternative Gift Market, is designed to provide a teaching opportunity for parents to encourage children to select moderately priced alternative gifts for loved ones. Please look for specially marked items at displays throughout the market.
Ballantyne Families Helping Neighbors in Need
- $2.00 will buy a box of pasta to make a family meal.
- $4.00 will buy a box of cereal for a child’s breakfast.
Freedom School
- $2.00 will buy colored pencils.
- $3.00 will buy glue sticks.
Nourish Up
- $2.00 will buy a jar of peanut butter to feed the hungry.
- $3.00 will buy juice for someone who is thirsty.
Promising Pages
- $2.00 will provide a family with two bedtime stories.
- $5.00 will buy a new book for summer reading.
- Donate a new or gently used book for a child.
Project 2 Heal
- $5.00 will help purchase food for a puppy..
Salvation Army Center of Hope
- $5.00 purchase kitchen items for Welcome Home Baskets.
Haiti – OFCB
- $2.00 will provide four meals for students.
Time Out Youth
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$2 buys a travel-size hygiene kit for the closet.
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$4 buys a notebook and pens for poetry night.
UrbanPromise Charlotte
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$2 buys a composition notebook.
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$5 buys a healthy snack pack.
LOCAL COMMUNITY OUTREACH GIVING OPPORTUNITIES
AUGUSTINE LITERACY PROJECT
Augustine Literacy Project (ALP) works to improve the reading, writing, and spelling skills of young, aspiring readers in under-resourced communities by providing free, long-term, one-on-one instruction from highly trained tutors. ALP does this by recruiting, training and supporting volunteer tutors who provide free, long-term, one-on-one instruction using research-based methodology. You will find ALP tutors in Charlotte-Mecklenburg elementary schools, working primarily with first through third graders at Title I schools.
Augustine Literacy Project has served the Charlotte community for 20 years. Last year, ALP volunteer tutors provided highly effective one-on-one tutoring lessons to 596 students – meaning over 12,800 reading lessons were provided at no cost to the families, students, schools, or community partners ALP serves.
The gift of a donation will help ensure all children in our community have the key to a brighter future – literacy!
Are you interested in learning more about being a volunteer tutor? ALP will train you to be a highly effective in-person or virtual tutor. New tutor trainings are kicking off in the new year!
BALLANTYNE FAMILIES HELPING NEIGHBORS IN NEED
Ballantyne Families Helping Neighbors in Need (BFHNIN)
is a grassroots, 100% volunteer, 501(c)(3) organization supported by a growing group of over 800 Ballantyne families and organizations. Our primary goal is to address food insecurity in our community for families who work in or attend one of the 11 public schools in the Ballantyne area* by bringing together our community to care for our neighbors in their time of need. Since March 2020, we have given food support to over 16,000 people, and given over $450,000 in grocery gift cards, over 5800 bags of groceries and 1000’s of encouraging notes from the community to Ballantyne families in need.
South Mecklenburg Presbyterian Church has played a large part in BFHNIN’s journey. SMPC hosted food drives in the initial months of schools shutting down at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic where we distributed over 650 bags of groceries to over 100 families!
Here’s how it works. The school counselors/social workers identify the families in need who attend or work in their schools. Ballantyne Families meet their needs in two ways. First, we have a weekly food pantry at Community House Middle School. After the counselors/social workers create an account for each family in need, the families go to our pantry website and select the food that they need. On Thursday mornings, volunteers go to the pantry, select the food that was requested and deliver the food to the schools who made the requests. Second, we provide food support via food and grocery gift cards through 4 annual givings when kids aren’t in school (Thanksgiving, December holidays, spring break and summer).
It has been truly incredible to see the generosity of our community helping our neighbors in their time of need!
To find out how to get involved, go to www.ballantynefamilies.org
*Ballantyne, Elon Park, Endhaven, Hawk Ridge, Knights View and Polo Ridge Elementaries, Community House and Jay M Robinson Middle Schools, Rea Farms STEAM K-8 and Ardrey Kell and Ballantyne Ridge High Schools.
COMMUNITY CULINARY SCHOOL OF CHARLOTTE
Community Culinary School of Charlotte (CCSC) is a nonprofit organization that provides Workforce Development Training and Job Placement Assistance in the hospitality industry for adults who face employment barriers in gaining and retaining long-term successful employment. Our goal is to provide culinary and life skills training to disadvantaged adults and assist placing them in jobs where they make a living wage ($16+/hour). Our vision is to transform the lives of our students and their families and positively impact our community. We provide paths to careers in the food service industry for adults whose barriers include lack of skills, incarceration, addiction, homelessness, and Veterans’ re-integration issues.
CCSC creates permanent, measurable, life-changing impact within the Charlotte region. Our culinary and life skills training program is a creative solution to the interwoven problems of unemployment, hunger, and homelessness. We focus on three core values: financial self-sufficiency, personal development, and economic mobility. CCSC’s overarching program goal is for graduates to move from dependency to self-sufficiency through stable employment.
CRISIS ASSISTANCE MINISTRY
Crisis Assistance Ministry’s mission is to provide assistance and advocacy for people in financial crisis, helping them move toward self-sufficiency. Mecklenburg County families receive help with life’s basic needs: emergency rent and utility assistance, clothing, household goods, furniture, beds, and appliances. Along with financial assistance, donations help provide one-on-one coaching and counseling with a case worker to help families get on the path to economic mobility. In addition, our Civic Engagement Program increases awareness of the complex issues facing thousands of neighbors in Mecklenburg County living in poverty. Our vision is to inspire our community to justice and generosity as we provide help, hope, and understanding to people struggling with limited financial resources.
FREEDOM SCHOOL
Freedom School Partners’ (FSP) mission is to inspire scholars to love reading and learning, believe in themselves, and create extraordinary futures. FSP primarily serves K-8th grade students (called scholars) who do not have access to quality summer learning programs. In 2025, FSP served 600 scholars at 111 Freedom School sites throughout Charlotte-Mecklenburg. FSP’s six-week literacy focused program helps to prevent summer learning loss, the largest factor in the achievement gap in school performance for low-income students. Most children in under-supported areas are disproportionately affected by losses in reading, losing more than 2-3 months in reading achievement every summer. FSP serves to combat summer learning loss, preparing scholars for the next school year.
For over a decade, 80% of scholars have either gained or maintained their reading skills because of participation in the Freedom School program. In addition to a robust literacy curriculum, FSP provides two meals daily for scholars, transportation to and from Freedom School, books for families to build at-home libraries, and enriching STEM based field trips and activities.
VIA HEALTH PARTNERS (HOSPICE)
VIA Health Partners, formerly Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region, is the Charlotte area’s “hometown hospice.” Founded in 1978, VIA Health Partners was the first hospice organization established in North Carolina. Since its founding, VIA Health Partners has helped thousands of families care for loved ones living with a terminal diagnosis. Our mission is simple: to relieve suffering and improve the quality and dignity of life through compassionate hospice care for those at the end-of-life and offer palliative care for those struggling with a life-limiting illness. Our care is patient-centered and family-focused. Donors from South Mecklenburg Presbyterian Church help fulfill our promise to the community, which is to accept all patients regardless of their age, medical complexity, or ability to pay. We proudly serve patients in 38 counties throughout North and South Carolina. Please contact Nancy Cole at colen@viahp.org for more information.
NOURISH UP
Formerly Loaves & Fishes/Friendship Trays, Nourish Up provides groceries, meals, and hope through a network of food pantries and as the primary Meals on Wheels program for Mecklenburg County. In 2024, Nourish Up provided groceries and meals to more than 164,000 people – that’s TWO Bank of America stadiums full.
Groceries – providing a week’s worth of nutritionally balanced groceries to individuals and families experiencing a short-term crisis through a network of emergency food pantries located throughout Mecklenburg County.
Meals – as the primary Meals on Wheels program in Mecklenburg County, Nourish Up delivers nutritious meals to elderly or infirm individuals who are unable to obtain or prepare their own meals while also providing human connection to the isolated and lonely and peace of mind to their families.
Food Drives: We are always in need of more food drives to feed our neighbors in need. Please reach out to Martha Cochrane to register and get a priority needs list.
Volunteer Opportunities: Delivery drivers is our biggest volunteer need. We use volunteer delivery drivers Monday-Saturday to deliver either a weeks’ worth of groceries or our prepared meals. Children of all ages can ride along to make these deliveries. We welcome individuals and groups of up to 20 people to work in the warehouse doing a variety of activities. The most frequent activities include sorting, inspecting, and/or packing donated/purchased food items. Volunteers must be 13 years old (and accompanied by an adult) to participate in the warehouse. For more information, contact volunteer@nourishup.org.
Please contact Martha Cochrane, mcochrane@nourishup.org for more information about Nourish Up or Jane Royther, jroyther@gmail.com, our South Mecklenburg Presbyterian church contact, for more information.
PROJECT 2 HEAL
Project 2 Heal: Raising Hope, One Puppy at a Time
Right here in our community, something extraordinary is happening – hope is being raised, trained, and shared through the healing power of dogs.
Project 2 Heal is the only organization in the country solely dedicated to breeding, nurturing, and donating world-class Labrador Retriever puppies to partner service dog organizations across the United States.
Since 2011, we’ve placed hundreds of these exceptional dogs with programs that go on to train them to support veterans with PTSD, children with special needs, and adults with disabilities – helping individuals live fuller, more independent lives.
Our process is grounded in education, expertise, and love. Each puppy receives Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) and Early Scent Introduction (ESI) in their first weeks – evidence-based techniques proven to support healthy development and long-term success. From there, our knowledgeable staff and dedicated volunteers provide early socialization, foundational training, and a structured, nurturing environment to guide each pup on their journey.
What makes Project 2 Heal truly unique is our mission to donate these purpose-bred puppies, selected for temperament, health, and intelligence-to carefully vetted partner organizations like K9s For Warriors, Blue Path Service Dogs, Fidos for Freedom, and 38 others. These partners continue the dogs’ advanced training, ultimately placing them with individuals whose lives are transformed by their service.
In an industry where a fully trained service dog can cost between $25,000 to $50,000 and waitlists stretch beyond four years; Project 2 Heal fills a critical gap-reducing wait times and expanding access for those who need these life-changing companions.
None of this would be possible without the heart of our organization-our volunteers and local community. Puppy raisers, litter care assistants, event helpers, donors, and sponsors all play a crucial role. Whether assisting with litter care, handling puppies at events, joining field trips and playgroups, or helping organize fundraisers and connect us with sponsors, these individuals show up with love and commitment – making each dog’s journey possible.
We also host Stress Down Day visits to schools, offices, and community spaces. These events not only provide joyful, therapeutic moments of puppy interaction but also raise awareness about mental health, service dogs, and inclusion-while generating vital funding to keep our mission going strong.
In the past year and a half, we proudly launched our Started 4 Service program—a major milestone that allows us to raise and train select puppies for direct placement into local service dog teams. Each year, we now train and place two full teams – one with a veteran and one with a child with special needs, both from right here in our community. These teams are thriving examples of the healing made possible when people come together to support one another.
Project 2 Heal is more than a program – it’s a movement. A movement built on compassion, connection, and the belief that a dog can change a life. Thanks to our growing network of volunteers, partners, and supporters, that belief becomes reality – every single day.
To learn more or get involved visit http://www.project2heal.org
PROMISING PAGES
In low-income neighborhoods, there is only 1 age-appropriate book for every 300 children.
Books make reading and literacy possible, and Promising Pages makes books possible for more than 55,000 children in our region. We collect new and donated books and share them with under-resourced families, schools, and child-serving organizations in the Charlotte Area Book Desert.
Last school year we distributed 265,134 books and served 54,009 children through our network of 24 Free Little Libraries and the following programs:
Books on Break – FREE in-school book fairs that provide five summer reading books to elementary school students to help prevent “summer slide”. 12,705 students in 23 Title I schools received over 71,320 summer reading books in May.
Bookseed & Reading Resource Centers – The Bookseed Program works with 15 affordable housing communities to build children’s home libraries (25 books per child) and provide ongoing access to books & literacy resources for 1,300+ children and their families.
Reading Resource Centers offer free books and literacy resources in an additional 17 housing communities, medical clinics, and community centers.
Community Partner Program (Book Bank) – This past school year, 197 nonprofit and child-serving organizations received $672,453 worth of free books to strengthen their literacy initiatives for their students, schools, libraries, programs, and families.
Feed the Body, Feed the Mind – Partners with local food banks and pantries to provide books alongside groceries and meals. 5 pantry sites distributed 15,725 books to 5,498 children receiving food assistance.
Books: Books are donated via book drives, individuals, organizations, and purchased through our wish lists at local retailers and online. Visit http://promising-pages.org/donate-books-2/ to see our 15 drop-off locations!
Volunteers: Volunteers help us clean, sticker, and sort donated books and are a critical element of our process. Our warehouse volunteers must be at least 18 years old, but we have lots of projects on the Get Involved page for younger volunteers! https://promising-pages.org/get-involved
ROOF ABOVE
is an interfaith organization dedicated to uniting the community to end homelessness one life at a time. Roof Above was born from the merger of Urban Ministry Center and Men’s Shelter of Charlotte; now one comprehensive homeless service provider working to end homelessness. Roof Above offers everything from street outreach and basic services, to shelter and housing. Our services and programs reach over 1,400 individuals every day across 11 campuses in Charlotte.
Homeless Services:
Basic services (showers, laundry, mail, lunch, assistance with IDs and social security cards)
Room in the Inn (offsite emergency shelter Dec-Mar)
Approx. 500 shelter beds for men
Income and Employment Programs
Housing Programs:
SECU The Rise on Clanton – 88-unit permanent supporting housing for the chronically homeless
Moore Place – 120-unit permanent supportive housing (PSH) for the chronically homeless
Hillrock Estates – 341-unit Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH)
Scattered Site and Rapid Rehousing
Centre Terrace – transitional housing
Forest Point Place – Our partnership with Mecklenburg County’s hotel conversion of 98-unit permanent supportive housing for individuals 55 years and older
Kings on Lamar – 65-unit transitional housing
Volunteer Opportunities:
Roof Above depends on the generosity of the community to meet the daily needs of our neighbors. This winter season we need in-kind donations such as food, special winter items, fresh start kits and new welcome home kits. You can support us through hosting a collection drive and donating these items or purchasing from our Amazon Wishlist.
Check out the Roof Above Wish List Items (https://www.roofabove.org/donation-wishlist/ on Amazon where you can order and have our most needed items delivered directly to us!
- Welcome Home Kits
- Fresh Start Kits
To become a volunteer and to see all opportunities to engage in our mission, please visit www.roofabove.org/volunteer.
SALVATION ARMY CENTER OF HOPE
At The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte, we don’t just offer a roof—we ignite hope. Our Center of Hope provides nightly emergency shelter to nearly 275 women and children, accompanied by comprehensive case management. At Booth Commons Family Center, entire families can heal together in private units. Through shelter diversion, rapid re-housing, and collaborative intervention, we walk with families toward lasting stability. Every day, families in our community face circumstances that shake the foundations of hope—whether it’s the loss of income, escalating housing costs, domestic violence, addiction, or mental health struggles. At The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte, our faith compels us to go beyond providing shelter: we restore dignity, security, and the belief in a brighter tomorrow.
You can become a beacon of light in someone’s darkest hour: serve a meal, adopt-a-meal, host a collection drive, or help furnish a family’s new home with dignity. Volunteer today and walk alongside families on their journey from crisis to hope
Serve a Meal at the Center of Hope
Prepare and serve nourishing meals on-site—an immediate source of comfort and care for families in need.
Adopt-A-Meal
Promote hope through food by providing fully prepared meals organizations, church groups, or individuals can drop off for our shelter.
Host a Collection Drive
Organize a support drive for essentials such as personal care items, bedding, underwear, or snack packs—every item goes directly to families
Create “Welcome Home Baskets”
Laundry baskets filled with new household items help families step into their new homes with dignity and peace of mind.
TIME OUT YOUTH
Time Out Youth (“TOY”) is Charlotte’s only community center for LGBTQ+ young people ages 13-24. Our goal is to support LGBTQ+ youth by offering vital programs, fostering unconditional acceptance, and creating safe spaces for self-expression through leadership, community support, and advocacy. We envision a world with inclusive communities, where all youth are equally empowered to reach their true potential.
Time Out Youth accomplishes this goal in many ways. We offer no-cost mental health care to LGBTQ+ youth. This counseling support prioritizes those who are uninsured or experiencing additional barriers to care. In 2024 we held 576 counseling sessions for 55 young people. Another cornerstone of our work is our youth programs, which include drop-ins, dinners, special events, support groups, and more. Whether they joined us for Prom, Dungeons & Dragons, poetry night, or a self-defense class, our drop-in space was visited 1,477 times last year and welcomed 236 new youth. We also offer a robust Housing and Supportive Services department, providing housing assistance and case management to LGBTQ+ youth ages 18-24. This department also offers emergency financial assistance and employment help, a food pantry, shower, Life Essentials Closet, kitchen, and more. In 2024, we helped 37 young people secure housing.
Your support makes an incredible difference in our work. What can that support look like? $88 covers a monthly CATS Pass so a young person can get to work, school, or to our Center to access services. $100 provides one affirming therapy session. $250 can cover a security deposit for a young person experiencing homelessness. Every donation makes an impact, so please donate today at timeoutyouth.org/donate! Looking to donate in a non-financial capacity? We are always accepting item donations for our Life Essentials closet, which provides everyday basics to youth experiencing houselessness (such as shampoo, deodorant, socks, and more).
Want to get involved? Join us as a volunteer with our youth programs! Visit timeoutyouth.org/volunteer to sign up for an orientation. If you have a group, you can join us as a dinner provider. Dinner volunteers provide dinner for a youth program, which can be cooked in the Center, dropped off there, or even ordered on an app. Email pamela@timeoutyouth.org for more information if dinner is calling your name!
URBANPROMISE CHARLOTTE
The mission of UrbanPromise is to provide Charlotte’s low-income children and youth with the spiritual, academic, and social development necessary to become Christian leaders determined to restore their communities. We provide up to a 20-year leadership journey for students starting at age 5 and support our students until age 25. Our model is three tiered: reach a child, raise a leader, restore community.
We reach children through our after school and summer programs. Kindergarten through eighth grade students participate in our programs designed to improve their academic performance and develop life skills.
We raise leaders through our StreetLeader Program. We employ teenagers (“StreetLeaders”) to serve as mentors and counselors for the children who attend our programs. As part of their employment our StreetLeaders receive ongoing training and development from UP staff, including leadership training, SAT tutoring, college and career access preparation, counseling with licensed professional counselors, and one-on-one adult mentorship.
We restore community through our Alumni Fellows Program where graduates from our StreetLeader program receive support and guidance necessary to persist through and complete their post-secondary pathway of choice. We offer support from high school graduation through age 25 as they navigate life as young adults.
Please feel free to contact Brittany Jenkins Shell at brittany@urbanpromisecharlotte.org for more information on how to get involved with UrbanPromise or visit our website www.urbanpromisecharlotte.org.
GLOBAL MISSION GIVING OPPORTUNITIES
PRESBYTERIAN DISASTER ASSISTANCE
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance enables congregations and mission partners of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to witness to the healing love of Christ through caring for communities adversely affected by crisis and catastrophic event.
DR000148 – General Relief and undesignated program support: supplements the One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) offering and enables members and congregations to make general designations to use funds where they are most needed as determined by PDA.
DR999999 – International Disasters and Emergencies: supplements the OGHS offering to enable a significant, initial response to major international disasters and emergencies.
DR 000015 – U. S. A. Disasters and Emergencies: supplements the OGHS offering to enable a significant, initial response to major national disasters and emergencies.
OFCB MINISTRIES – SCHOOL, MEDICAL CLINIC, and COMMUNITY in Bayonnais, Haiti
– SCHOOL, MEDICAL CLINIC, and COMMUNITY in Bayonnais, Haiti
SMPC has supported OFCB Ministries since its inception in 1994. SMPC members have traveled to Bayonnais regularly, and we have strong, personal relationships with the leaders of the school, medical clinic, and community.
SCHOOL
OFCB educates 2,300 students ages K-13th grade in 4 locations. Currently, 70-80% of high school graduates are attending Haitian colleges, the teacher education school in Bayonnais, or local trade schools. More than 80% of the employees of OFCB graduated from the high school. Donations to the OFCB school are used primarily for school food and secondarily for other school needs like teacher salaries. See next page for information about student sponsorships.
MEDICAL CLINIC
OFCB’s 14-year-old medical clinic was the first in Bayonnais and was built to support a community of 80,000 people. A medical laboratory was added 11 years ago. Several OFCB graduates are employed by the clinic. Donations to the clinic support salaries and medical supply needs.
AGRICULTURE
Families in Bayonnais are very poor. One way to help is by providing for agricultural needs. SMPC provides funds for the purchase of goats and chickens for families to raise. The offspring of these animals are sold to increase family income. We also provide funds for farming tools.
OFCB STUDENT SPONSORSHIPS
SMPC partners with EWO (the Haitian Creole word for hero), a non-profit organization based in Charlotte, to secure school sponsorships for OFCB students. Annual sponsorships are $480 ($40/month) and help provide education, meals, a school uniform, and access to a medical clinic. In addition to prayer, sponsors can build relationships with students by writing and receiving letters. Students available for sponsorship are pictured below or here; visit our table for additional students or contact Judy Jones: judy21jones@gmail.com.
