By Addie Rising, SHARECharlotte.com, a free, easy and local website that makes it easy to learn about and engage with our local nonprofits.
Wow, wow, WOW, Smarty Moms! When SummerSHARE began last month, we at SHARE Charlotte dreamed of having Charlotte neighbors — including Smarty Moms like you — purchase 3,000 items for our nonprofit partners. Guess what? Our nonprofit partners received 4,280 items valued at $34,197!!!
“Charlotte is so awesome,” says SHARE Charlotte Founder and Executive Director, Kelly Brooks. “When we, as a community, rally around the common goal of doing good, we deliver every time. Thank you to everyone who gave need a vacation this summer!”
As you may know, the summer months can be tough for our nonprofit partners and the people and programs they serve. Pantry shelves get cleaned out, donations are traditionally at a low point for the year and folks — myself included — just aren’t thinking about giving back. But we are working hard to change that thought process and make summer a time to give back!
All the items donated, especially the smaller ones, make a huge impact.
“In just 11 days we received 52 items (worth $859) on our doorstep ready to be put to use!” said Trish Fries, Urban Ministry Center’s data and digital communications manager. “Backpacks will help our homeless neighbors carry items, scrubs will provide dignity while people launder their clothes, and washcloths are used in the showers, but also doused in water to keep people cool outside. The impact is huge and we cannot thank SHARE Charlotte and our amazing donors enough for responding to our neighbor’s needs.”
A Child’s Place also received many items off their wish list. “We are always grateful for our continuous donations throughout the year but, having the support of SHARE Charlotte was especially helpful because we were able to put emphasis on items we don’t usually receive but are still urgent needs,” said Delana Murdoch, A Child’s Place volunteer coordinator.
Along with much-needed products, SummerSHARE also brought visibility and awareness to Charlotte nonprofits. “We not only benefited from tangible gifts through our Amazon wish list, we also gained more exposure than we would normally receive in an entire summer through support from SHARE Charlotte and promotional opportunities,” said QC Family Tree Co-founder and Executive Director Helms Jarrell.
Thank you Smarty Moms and Smarty Kids for using your lemonade stand money, your loose change and your kind hearts to make SummerSHARE a HUGE success for our nonprofit partners.
