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 free cookout lunch and building tours afterward. The public is welcome to come see how this new space is being used to distribute food and provide resources to help families escape poverty in the eastern side of Union County. 

The Marshville location serves as Common Heart’s second food pantry warehouse and Common Cupboard delivery pantry. It will also be a homebase for Economic Empowerment programs to help get families out of poverty. The nonprofit also has a location in Indian Trail. 

“The amazing support during the pandemic has produced a year of expansion for Common Heart,” Executive Director Keith Adams said. “It’s been a time to boldly expand and serve more families. We’ve also added mobile pantries, neighborhood pop-up pantries and two new evening pantries in addition to the East Union Empowerment Center. We want everyone in the county to have access to a pantry as close as possible to their home.”

Common Heart would especially like to thank the following for their generosity that made the opening of the East Union Empowerment Center possible: 

• Tyson Foods for believing in the vision to expand food pantry and economic empowerment services in eastern Union County and providing a $10,000 grant to make it happen!
• New City Church for providing materials, labor and financial support to expand and upfit our Economic Empowerment program space.
• Food Lion Feeds for donating a walk-in cooler, financial support and providing volunteers to help prepare the space.

Second Harvest Food Bank for donating a walk-in freezer and providing constant support to expand services to this underserved area of Union County.