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 and has driven by the church many times, often on Thursdays when a line of cars moves through the parking lot to get free groceries.

Her family needed food but she wondered… did she qualify? She’d never been to a food
pantry before but like so many of our neighbors – especially during the pandemic –
help was needed.

You can help ensure that neighbors like “Susan” don’t go hungry by participating in
Common Heart’s 5th annual Hunger Walk fundraiser. The event will be available
in-person at Crooked Creek Park in Indian Trail or virtual, meaning participants can
join in from wherever they’d like anytime on Sunday, March 6. Registration is $25 for
adults and $15 for children ages 12 and younger and includes a T-shirt. Participants are
encouraged to collect donations from family and friends to help in the effort to feed
hungry families. Get all the details and register online: CommonHeartHungerWalk.org.

“We can’t wait to gather together – both in-person and online. No matter which way
you choose to participate this year, you can still take steps to end local hunger,”
Executive Director Keith Adams said. “The Common Heart Hunger Walk is a great
chance to join in solidarity raising awareness about hunger in our community and
raising funds to support our food pantry programs. Our hungry neighbors rely on food
pantries like Common Heart now more than ever in our 16 year history.”

Due to the pandemic, Common Heart food pantries have seen a dramatic increase in
the number of families seeking help since 2020. In 2021, Common Heart provided a
week’s worth of groceries to 10,861 individuals an average of 12 times, or about
once a month. The number of total individuals served between 2020 to 2021 went
down by almost 7,000 people, but the frequency of families getting groceries more
than tripled.

According to Feeding America, it’s estimated that 26,500 people are food insecure in
Union County – that’s over 10% of Union County’s population.

A donation of just $25 to Common Heart provides a week’s worth of groceries for one
local family in need. Sponsorships are also available. For more information, email
Kristina.Aquilone@CommonHeart.org or call 704-218-9060 ext. 1007.