What a great honor to prep for and then serve the men, women and children that stopped in the Dilworth Soup Kitchen for Lunch on Monday. This is a special place, no doubt about it. With over 125 visitors in just over 1-hour, it was a heart-warming site to behold, and they truly made each of us feel like part of the DSK family. Everything here is donated, there is no government funding, and all of the kitchen support comes from volunteers. Most importantly, there is no cost for the guests, and everyone is welcome to come share a meal. We urge you to consider Dilworth Soup Kitchen in your philanthropic giving plans, and/or to serve along side and on behalf of an amazing group of individuals. For more information contact Mary Andujar at mandujar13@hotmail.com or visit their website at https://dilworthsoupkitchen.org
We have been wanting to serve with Rise Against Hunger, a meal-packing non-profit, for quite some time and Jason, Danielle and Ed were finally given the opportunity to do so this morning. As part of a much larger team of volunteers, they were able to pack over 10,000 meals for those in need around the world. Rise Against Hunger is an international hunger relief organization that distributes food and life-changing aid to the world’s most vulnerable, mobilizing the necessary resources to end hunger by 2030. An extraordinary organization doing incredible work with tangible outputs and measurable results. If you would like to learn more about RAH, and how you can volunteer or even organize a meal-packing effort, please visit their website at https://www.riseagainsthunger.org/
We had beautiful weather for Epic Capital’s stream clean effort today. This is part of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services Adopt A Stream program. Our section is across Park Road from the pond at Park Road Park. It was an extraordinary experience on many fronts. It’s amazing what disregard some have for our environment. Plastic bottles, and big gulp styrofoam cups everywhere. They simply don’t decompose. Glass bottles and cans too. We also came across someone’s personal belongings and a make-shift camp sight for someone who is obviously homeless. Other findings included Softballs (4), tennis balls (8-10), flip-flops (2), rubber gloves (3), tire (1), Street sign post (1), hypodermic needle (1), license plate (1), Nerf darts (5-6). Total collected: about 3 large garbage bags of discard or should we say “disregard”. It’s such a great program, and you can instantly see the results of your efforts. If you would like to learn more or get involved, check them out online: http://charlottenc.gov/StormW…/Volunteer/…/AdoptAStream.aspx
What a great way to start the day and start off the week, serving alongside of co-workers and clients at an amazing little non-profit in Charlotte, called Promising Pages. Promising Pages inspires underserved children to achieve their dreams by instilling a love of reading. Fueled by studies showing that children who can’t read proficiently by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school. More than 60,000 underserved kids in the Charlotte area are at risk of falling behind. Promising Pages provides innovative classroom programs and more than 100,000 free books annually, making it Charlotte’s largest and most efficient distributor of upcycled books aimed at addressing this critical – and solvable – community need. We counted, sorted, cleaned and stamped books, getting them prepped and ready. Next stop … a child’s hands. What a worthwhile endeavor. If you would like to learn more, or are interested in volunteering one day as well, please check them out online at http://promisingpages.org They depend on volunteers, so “book” a date!
Managing Director, Ed Doughty, just returned from a 12-day trip serving in several remote regions of Ethiopia with Wine To Water, a North Carolina based non-profit that aims to eradicate the global water crisis. While there, he and several other volunteers worked on three separate borehole wells with their local ground partner, Water is Life International and their incredibly hard working crew of locals. They utilized what is known as a percussion-well drilling technique, manually drilling down 21-meters to the aqua-fore and then assembling the actual well pump. Ed also learned about Sustainable Living Teams (SLTs) which are groups of 10-15 women who through financial awareness training are able to save weekly and then make small loans (with interest) to one another to enhance whatever livelihood they already have, or to help start a small business. These teams were extraordinary and their communities were really beginning to thrive. To learn more about this extraordinary organization that is very near and dear to us here at Epic Capital, or to help support their efforts, please visit them at http://winetowater.org
Everyone at Epic Capital wanted to do something for the families suffering from the devastation that took place in Puerto Rico during the hurricanes. So we spent our morning sorting donated goods that will be shipped down and disseminated to those in need. It is extraordinary what the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina does, serving over 725 non-profits in the Carolinas, and doing the work that needs doing to support those in the time of crisis. Bravo Mark and team. Please consider making a donation, or reach out to them and serve as well!
We couldn’t have asked for a better way to kick off our 2017 Epic Outreach effort than serving lunch to over 180 men at the Men’s Shelter of Charlotte. They operate Mecklenburg County’s only two year-round emergency shelters for men experiencing homelessness. Basic needs are met, including a bed, meals, restroom/shower facilities, laundry, and personal hygiene items. A host of on-site services is also available including a volunteer-run Housing and Employment Resource Center (HERC), substance abuse and mental health services, peer support, medical respite, and bi-monthly visits from volunteer dentists. A special thanks to “Champ” for his incredible instruction, guidance and big heart. To learn more, or to help support them financially or through volunteering, please visit their website: http://www.mensshelterofcharlotte.org
A cold morning indeed, but our hearts were warmed by the incredible outpouring of support we saw throughout the day. We had the opportunity to pick up donated food items at two local schools, Stoney Creek Elementary and Huntingtowne Farms Elementary. The amount of food donated by the families of the children at those schools was extraordinary. We were truly in awe. What an honor to play a small role in that effort. To learn more about the amazing work being done at Loaves & Fishes, or to make a donation, please visit their website: https://www.loavesandfishes.org/
Managing Director, Ed Doughty, and Client Services Associate Jason Dimitriou just returned from an 8-day trip serving in the Dominican Republic with Wine To Water, a North Carolina based non-profit that aims to eradicate the global water crisis. While there, they worked in a factory where they learned the ceramic filter making process. They then distributed the filters to locals in a remote mountainside community. In addition they were able to pass out over 130 hygiene kits as well as teach a WaSH program (Water, Santitation and Hygiene).To learn more about this extraordinary organization that is very near and dear to us here at Epic Capital, or to help support their efforts, please visit them at http://winetowater.org
What a FUN morning, “gleaning” watermelons with the Society of St. Andrew at Barbee Farms in Concord, NC. Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers’ fields after they have been commercially harvested, and giving them to the poor and impoverished. We gleaned about 5,000 pounds of melons which has already been delivered to Hickory Grove Baptist’s food pantry, to soup kitchens/pantries in Kannapolis, and to a low income apartment community in East Charlotte. For more information or to volunteer with the Society of St. Andrew – Carolinas, contact Jean Siers or visit their website: http://endhunger.org/north-carolina/
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