✝️HCUCC Endowment Team Invests $10,000 with Nourish Up!

Nov 06, 2025

✝️HCUCC Endowment Team Invests $10,000 with Nourish Up!

A large, diverse crowd of people arranged in the shape of a heart, symbolizing inclusive community, unity, and shared compassion.

HCUCC Endowment Team Invests $10,000 with Nourish Up to Feed Our Neighbors

Be the Church — Everywhere: turning compassion into groceries, meals, and hope.

Nourish Up (formerly Loaves & Fishes/Friendship Trays) provides groceries and meals across Mecklenburg County.

“As people of faith, we remember that feeding hungry people was central to Jesus’ own ministry. When he broke bread and shared fish with the multitudes, it was more than an act of compassion, but a living expression of God’s love and justice. Our response today follows that same call.”

— Rev. Christopher Czarnecki

This week, Holy Covenant’s Endowment Ministry Team approved a $10,000 gift to Nourish Up, a Charlotte nonprofit working at the front lines of hunger in our community. The organization reports a sharp rise in demand as SNAP benefits face disruption and cuts, with visits across its pantry network up by roughly 20% in recent weeks. (Charlotte Observer)

Nourish Up—formerly Loaves & Fishes/Friendship Trays—rebranded in 2024 but continues the same mission: to nourish our neighbors with food and compassion. As Mecklenburg County ramps up emergency support while federal aid remains uncertain, local partners like Nourish Up are scaling operations to meet urgent needs for families, seniors, and children.

Mecklenburg County alone has approximately 138,000 SNAP recipients, according to The Charlotte Observer, underscoring the magnitude of this hunger crisis. County officials have committed $740,000 in emergency support to local food programs as partners like Second Harvest Food Bank, Crisis Assistance Ministry, and Nourish Up work in tandem to serve those most affected.

Why give cash instead of canned goods? As noted in Observer reporting, food banks can purchase in bulk at wholesale cost, acquiring exactly what’s needed—fresh produce, proteins, and dairy—far more efficiently than individual donations allow. Cash gifts stretch resources and reduce sorting, storage, and waste.

“Be the Church — Everywhere.”

This gift expresses our congregation’s call to love made visible—standing with vulnerable neighbors, responding quickly to real need, and partnering with trusted community organizations. It’s how Holy Covenant lives our mission beyond our walls and into the city we love.

With Gratitude to Our Endowment Team

Our thanks to the dedicated members of the Holy Covenant Endowment Ministry Team, whose stewardship and generosity made this gift possible:

Chair: Gregg Walker
Consistory Liaison: Dawn Robinson
Ex Officio: Rev. Christopher Czarnecki, Martha Bomely (Treasurer)
Members: Mel Andersen, Tom Lannin, Alix Felsing, Cheri Lovell

Together, their leadership ensures Holy Covenant’s endowment continues to grow, serve, and make tangible impact in our wider community.

💛 Donate to Nourish Up

Your gift helps purchase nutritious food at scale—right when and where it’s needed most.

Learn more:
Nourish Up (pantries & Meals on Wheels) •
Charlotte Observer Article •
Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina •
Crisis Assistance Ministry

#HCUCCEverywhere #ProgressiveClergy

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