Common Heartbeat
January 10, 2022
Registration now open! 5th annual event! Choose in-person or virtual option We got a Facebook message recently from “Susan,” saying she had “fallen on hard times” and wanted to know how to receive groceries from the Thursday evening pantry at Union United Methodist Church in Waxhaw. She lives close by […]
January 4, 2022
Dollar General grant gives boost to adult literacy program Eriberta Gonzalez of Monroe is working toward a big goal as she learns English through Common Heart’s adult literacy program: becoming an electrician. Thanks to an $8,000 grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, Eriberta and other Union County adults are […]
December 15, 2021
Hard to believe… but tax season is approaching! That means we’re looking for volunteers to help with our FREE income tax season to help our neighbors file their taxes. Training sessions will be held online via Zoom January 8th and 15th from 8:30 to 4:00. Interested? Email Shaleel.Johnson@CommonHeart.org or call […]
December 15, 2021
A letter from our Executive Director, Keith Adams. As I think about what you and this community have done, I can say that the dream of a small revolution of kindness is happening. And Our Christmas Wish this year is to see this revolution grow exponentially in the hearts of […]
December 10, 2021
Applications being accepted for next sessions Our Getting Ahead empowerment focus groups meet people where they are — among all types of situations. For Angie Merritt, Getting Ahead was a “safe place” to be and meet new friends as she recovers from a drug addiction. “It was a comfortable place […]
December 8, 2021
Adult literacy volunteer John Pinnix & Yahya Hamdouni, are more than just tutor & student — they’re friends. Yaya recently invited John to attend his U.S. citizenship ceremony and John presented him with a U.S. flag for his home. The moment marked a huge accomplishment for Yahya and the completion […]
December 1, 2021
The neighbors who regularly attend our evening food pantries often become friends, as Pastor Brad Cunningham of Union United Methodist Church can attest. He reflects on this relationship after one of these neighbors died unexpectedly. In his own words … A week ago today I received a phone call. One […]
November 9, 2021
Did you hear?! Common Heart is ‘hamming it up’ this year due to turkey shortages and will be giving away hams instead of turkeys with Thanksgiving baskets. Due to the shortages and rising grocery costs this year we’ve also had to increase to a $40 donation providing the whole Thanksgiving […]
November 9, 2021
Did you hear about the Cash Calendar??? It’s an awesome fundraiser with our friends at Rotary Club of Matthews where you have the chance to WIN cash all year long! Common Heart is just one of the many local nonprofits who will benefit from this fundraiser. Every Monday, Wednesday & […]
October 29, 2021
Getting Ahead success story alert! We’re so proud of our Getting Ahead graduate Sharon Crowder who has recently opened a business following her passion: cooking. Level Up Spicy Kreationz Southern Kountry Komfort Food & Spice is a full-service catering business and Sharon also makes and sells her spices separately (43 […]
October 29, 2021
Common Heart welcomes new Operations Director We’re so excited to introduce you to our new Operations Director, Nelson Hardin! To say Nelson has a passion for helping people is an understatement. In high school, he helped run a food pantry in the D.C.-area feeding the homeless every afternoon after he […]
October 26, 2021
Howard Williams is only in his third month as a Cupboard Ally volunteer and already sees some friendships blossoming with the neighbors he’s delivering groceries to. He’s serving two widowed women, both elderly — one just celebrated her 90th Birthday! “The day we first met she was sharing about her […]
October 22, 2021
Hey November is almost here and you know what that means?? It’s time to rustle up some turkeys! It is time for ….The …. Great …. Turkey …. Countdown!! 2021 GOAL: 1,500 Turkeys for 1,500 Families! Can we do it again this year??? 1,500 families blessed by the generosity of this […]
October 20, 2021
Are you looking to take control of your finances? We’re partnering with South Piedmont Community College to host this three-session, in person workshop. FREE and open to the public! Masks required. Workshop will be held on the following Saturdays from 1:30-5:30 p.m. at our East Union Empowerment Center in Marshville. […]
October 13, 2021
This year’s Love In Action was a shining example of how our community has pulled together to meet the needs of our neighbors who are struggling to put food on their tables. But, we are not done yet….. So far, we have raised $41,843 towards our $60,000 goal. There is still time […]
September 30, 2021
Fourth graders Amisha & Ronak Ghelani know what it means to put #loveinaction. The 9-year-old twins from South Charlotte collected more than 500 boxes of cereal for Common Heart’s food pantries after seeing the cereal shelf was almost empty when they were volunteering recently at our Marshville location. The idea […]
September 23, 2021
Getting Ahead graduate Ruth Perez says her “ah ha moment” during the Money & Me class hit on a topic that she loves — ice cream. Regular trips to a local ice cream shop with her 10-member household (of three generations!) is expensive, but before taking this class they wouldn’t […]
September 15, 2021
When Kenyatta Moore heard about Getting Ahead she was in the middle of what she describes as a “perfect storm.” The mother of two from Waxhaw was full-time caregiver for her mother, taking college courses, helping her daughter with autism complete virtual school and she had just lost her customer […]
September 13, 2021
This year we are investing in people – people not only impacted by this pandemic, but the circumstances and barriers of life in poverty. Here’s a letter from our Executive Director, Keith Adams. Thank you for being a big part of this small revolution of kindness! Thousands of our neighbors have […]
September 2, 2021
After years of struggling to keep up with medical bills following major heart and kidney issues, Marie “Rosie” Kreutzer was in trouble. Food always seemed to be running low and this self-described “positive person” was emotionally and physically drained. She was in line at a Common Heart drive-thru mobile food […]
August 17, 2021
Summer’s winding down and we hope you’re enjoying these last days of vacation. As high school and college students head back to school (good luck!!) we’ve got weekday gaps to fill in our volunteer family.The opportunities include sorting incoming donations, packing food for our neighbors, working at our mobile pantries […]
August 17, 2021
We’re sad to report that due to the recent uptick in the number of COVID cases our Poverty Simulation on Aug. 21 has been cancelled. Stay tuned for a rescheduled date! If your church, school or business would like to host a Poverty Simulation led by our Advocates for Change group […]
August 3, 2021
Join us in-person, via zoom or Facebook Live on August 17 from 6:30-8pm for the graduation of our third Getting Ahead cohort of 2021!! Their theme is “Wake Up & Change Poverty into Prosperity.” The dress is casual – or pajamas!! Time for a little fun and celebration because this […]
August 3, 2021
UPDATE: This event has been postponed … stay tuned for a new date. Walk for a little while in your neighbor’s shoes as our Advocates for Change group hosts a poverty simulation on Saturday, Aug. 21 from 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 302 East Windsor St., in […]
July 29, 2021
After seeing what his daughter-in-law Deb had started and watching his son Keith get involved too, it didn’t take Frank Adams too long to start helping to feed his neighbors. When he started volunteering, Common Heart had just become an official nonprofit and was renting a small storage room in […]
July 23, 2021
Did you see us on TV??? Huge thank you to WSOC-TV for coming out today to cover our ribbon cutting and grand opening last week at our new East Union Empowerment Center in Marshville. This new space includes a food pantry warehouse to better serve our neighbors and classroom space […]
July 1, 2021
It’s our Birthday month!! July 2021 marks 15 years of serving together at Common Heart! We’ve got a lot of fun things planned to celebrate this month and we’re so excited to share some stories as we take a peek at what Common Heart has looked like through the years. […]
June 29, 2021
All are invited to the grand opening of Common Heart’s new East Union Empowerment Center, 6022 Marshville Boulevard, in Marshville from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, July 15. The Union County Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. and Common Heart will provide a […]
June 24, 2021
When Ruth Perez signed up for Common Heart’s Getting Ahead focus group it was during a very stressful time. Her Mom was in the hospital with COVID, she was working toward her GED, and her family had been without water for three months because they couldn’t pay the bill. She […]
June 17, 2021
Common Heart has the chance to WIN $20,000 thanks to a pledge from one of our own volunteers who is participating in an online fitness contest. Long-time volunteer and personal trainer, Emmett Ballard, is competing to be named Mr. Fitness in Muscle & Fitness magazine. The grand prize is $20,000 […]
June 3, 2021
Our free income tax service volunteers filed 282 income tax returns this year despite challenges from the pandemic. The free service assisted residents in receiving $463,432 in total refunds and saved them an estimated total of $42,300 in tax return fees. This was the 10th year Common Heart has offered […]
May 26, 2021
Please join us (virtually!) Wednesday, June 9 at 6:30 p.m. as we celebrate our 10 Getting Ahead graduates! These hard-working neighbors are starting their journeys out of poverty and into stability and we’re so proud of all the accomplishments they’ve made so far! You’ll hear stories about their experiences and […]
April 23, 2021
Have you heard??? Some friends have created the Kickstart Kindness match, and through April 30 your special gift will be matched dollar for dollar, and new monthly recurring donations will be TRIPLE matched! WOW!!! As of Friday, April 23 we have just 7 DAYS LEFT and $9,684 to go in […]
April 23, 2021
1980s-themed 5K to be held in-person with virtual option Registration is open for the 2nd annual Common Heart Retro Run 5K fundraiser. This 1980s-themed run/walk event will be held in-person Saturday, May 29 at Chestnut Square Park in Indian Trail with COVID safety precautions in place. A virtual option is […]
April 5, 2021
EXCITING NEWS!!! We’re adding another traditional food pantry! Starting today (Monday, April 5), every Monday from 7-8 p.m. our friends at Benton Heights Presbyterian Church (2701 Concord Hwy.) in Monroe will be hosting a drive-thru food pantry! That means we’ll have two pantries operating at the same time on Mondays […]
March 24, 2021
When Common Heart volunteer Brian Cross started delivering groceries last year to “Brenda,” each month as part of our Cupboard Allies program he wasn’t sure what to expect. But it didn’t take long before they were sharing laughs and photos of their kids. This unique program is creating supportive friendships […]
March 24, 2021
The results are in! Common Heart’s 4th annual Hunger Walk fundraiser drew about 200 participants and raised $45,333. That’s enough to provide a week’s worth of groceries to 1,813 struggling local families! To put that in perspective, Common Heart food pantries are currently serving an average of 1,400 families each […]
February 10, 2021
Common Heart’s food pantries received 5,741 pounds of nonperishable foodthanks to four local Boy Scout troops who chose the nonprofit as the recipient for their annualScouting for Food collection. That’s enough to provide a week’s worth of food to 155 local struggling families! The national food & fund drive is […]
February 5, 2021
Take steps to end local hunger by registering now for the Common Heart Hunger Walk! Like so many of her neighbors, especially during this pandemic, “Nancy” had never been to a food pantry before she came to one of Common Heart’s drive-thru pantries last week. Her husband is working but […]
January 28, 2021
“Seeing all of the teachers, assistants, and support staff come through the line reminded me that we always have an opportunity to make people feel appreciated. No act of kindness is too small. Everyone deserves to feel like what they do and who they are matters, especially during challenging times.” […]
January 19, 2021
Have you ever thought “I’d like to get more involved but I don’t know how?” The Cupboard Ally program might be for you! Our friends Pastor Quintell & his wife, Christie of Multiply Church in Monroe, have been going “above & beyond” recently to help a neighbor in need who […]
January 12, 2021
While we can’t safely gather in-person this year, you can still take steps to end local hunger! The VIRTUAL Common Heart Hunger Walk is a great chance to join in solidarity to raise awareness about hunger in our community and raise funds to support Common Heart’s food pantry programs. On Sunday, March 7 go for […]
December 7, 2020
Written by Common Heart Executive Director Keith Adams… Dear friend, 2020 has been a year, hasn’t it?! It’s been challenging for so many reasons, but it’s also been a year when we have come together serving the needs of local families facing hardships. This year has shown … we are […]
December 1, 2020
This article appears in the digital magazine “Thanks & Giving” presented by the Carolina Weekly Newspaper Group in honor of GivingTuesday on Dec. 1. See page 12. Thanks & Giving Magazine 2020 by Charlotte Media Group – issuu #CMGGivingTuesday Our Economic Empowerment programs were given a big boost as we […]
November 16, 2020
Brian Cross, a Common Heart Board Member, shares his thoughts leading up to Saturday’s 14th annual Great Turkey Countdown…our biggest delivery day of the year! How are you showing your gratitude this Thanksgiving season? At Thanksgiving, we gather at the table with our families, break bread and share our joys. […]
October 29, 2020
Canned goods, frozen turkeys needed to reach goal of serving 1,500 families in need Calling all turkeys! Local nonprofit Common Heart is seeking donations to provide 1,500 frozen turkeys with all the fixin’s to 1,500 local families in need so they can prepare their own Thanksgiving feasts. It’s the 14th […]
October 29, 2020
Common Heart online workshop starts Nov. 8 Executive business planner and Common Heart volunteer Peter Ochs has a passion for seeing people succeed in life. That’s why, he said, he’s had such a great experience serving as an Ally for Getting Ahead graduate, Cori, who’s on her journey out of […]
October 21, 2020
You can bid on a copy in our Common Heart Auction Group! When Common Heart volunteer Rich Scalea was visiting the New Jersey boardwalk enjoying a Nathan’s hot dog he just happened to see a woman walk by with a Dachshund (aka “weiner dog”) named Nathan. (Get it?!? Ha ha!) […]
October 16, 2020
Moser Group, Passionate Paws kick off fundraising blitz Since the pandemic hit locally, Stephen & Dr. Susan Bonilla had been looking for ways to give back but weren’t sure how. As the owners of Passionate Paws Animal Hospital in Waxhaw, they enjoy sponsoring community events, but those were cancelled. Hosting […]
September 3, 2020
Dion Rymer didn’t know how his family — both locally and those still in the British Virgin Islands — would react when they found out he enrolled in Common Heart’s adult literacy program to improve his reading and writing skills. He describes their reactions in two words: Very proud. The […]