Additional Listings

COMMUNITY LINK originated in Charlotte in 1929, as a Travelers Aid Society, but in 1995 the new name, Community Link Programs of Travelers Aid Society of Central Carolinas, Inc, reflected its updated mission to utilize community resources efficiently in the provision of effective individualized long-term services to break the cycle of poverty among individuals and families. CL ensures customers, all of whom must have either wages or Social Security payments, of receiving needed resources while avoiding duplication of services from various agencies. Government grants, foundations, United Way, churches and individuals fund this organization.

COTSWOLD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL serves children from kindergarten through fifth grade. PUMC partnership with this nearest public elementary school to our church, dates to the 1960s, through tutoring, working in the library, helping with testing, reading to children, adopting a family for Christmas, and collecting books and other school supplies. An increasingly multicultural enrollment, including non-English speaking children from Africa and Asia, creates a need for multilingual volunteers. A high number of free lunch students creates a need for supplementary funds.

CROP WALK, an October event in Charlotte, dating to 1978, is the largest CROP Walk in the United States. Large numbers of PUMC members have walked, or sponsored walkers, each year, under the joint sponsorship of Global and Local Missions Committees. Church World Service receives 75% of money collected, and uses it to help fund disaster aid, hunger relief, and refugee education. The other 25% is given locally, to Crisis Assistance Ministry, Loaves and Fishes, and Second Harvest Food Bank.

FLORENCE CRITTENTON SERVICES opened in 1903 as the first public/private partnership in North Carolina to assist single pregnant women and girls. Its mission is to promote health and hope for tomorrow's children by providing comprehensive health, education and social services for high-risk single pregnant adolescents, women, and their families in the Carolinas. Services include prenatal and medical care, education, counseling, and substance abuse intervention and prevention in a facility housing forty-seven clients. FCS assists 200 mothers and 200 newborns a year. FCS has a Mother-Child Program, including early childhood development, as well as prevention of abuse and neglect. A Preparation for Adult Living Skills Program for non-pregnant teens, focuses on prevention of high-risk behaviors. Funding is from United Way, states of North and South Carolina, faith communities, corporations, and individuals.

FRIENDSHIP TRAYS is in mission to deliver daily, in a caring and friendly manner, balanced meals to individuals in this community who are unable, because of age or infirmity, to obtain or prepare their own meals. FT began in 1976 with delivery to five shut-ins. Growth in service led to a 1990 partnership with Saint Martin's Episcopal Church where meals were prepared in the kitchen. In 1996, FT moved to a donated warehouse at 2401-A Distribution Street, and installed a commercial kitchen with capacity to prepare 1,000 meals. Seventy-five volunteers are needed daily, year-round, to deliver an average of 720 meals each day. Neither United Way nor government supported, FT is 100% privately funded.

THE GLEANING NETWORK was developed in 1988 by the Society of St. Andrew, which was founded in 1979 by two Methodist ministers as an agency to salvage food for the needy. In 1992, SOSA began to spread nationwide. The concept of gleaning dates to Old Testament days when reapers were encouraged to leave some produce in the fields for widows and others in need, to glean late in the day. The Gleaning Network brings together growers, volunteers, and service agencies to gather and disburse fruits and vegetables. PUMC members began to glean soon after formation of the network. The office of the director of the Western Carolina Division is located in PUMC Catacombs. Cash donations are needed, as are drivers of their own trucks, but the heart of the program rests with the farmers who donate their fields and orchards, and the individuals, families, and small groups that volunteer to glean.

LATINO OUTREACH represents an opportunity by members of faith communities to provide spiritual growth to Hispanic immigrants. Since 2001, PUMC has been part of this mission effort promoted by our district of the United Methodist Church. If strategically located, churches share their facilities for Hispanics to conduct worship services; outlying churches support them through funding and volunteerism. Kids Educational Enhancement Program is an example of a collaborative project, in this instance involving Memorial United Methodist Church, Agua de Vida congregation, and PUMC. In January 2005, KEEP opened as an after-school program to provide a safe, nurturing environment for children who might otherwise be home alone during those hours. Volunteers focus upon study skills, cultural familiarization, peer interaction, and spiritual growth.

LIFESPAN originated at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Charlotte, to provide life skills training and social interaction for children whose profound disabilities led to their exclusion from public schools. By 1999 the program had grown to include children from birth and adults through senior years, and had expanded across North Carolina. Sources of funds include Medicaid, school systems, mental health agencies, and individuals. LifeSpan offers programs in education, employment, and enrichment to developmentally disabled people. It is convenient for PUMC members to volunteer with LifeSpan, for its Elizabeth Lee Center opened in 2001 in the lower level of our church. In 2002, PUMC volunteers created a music program for the center. LifeSpan welcomes cash gifts, supplies, and volunteers to interact with the clients.

MEDIHELP, a PUMC medical equipment loan program, was initiated by member Ralph Bradbury in 1983. Under his leadership, members became aware of the importance of donating used or new medical equipment, ranging from canes to hospital beds. All items are welcome, but the greatest ongoing need is for shower chairs, raised toilet seats, walkers, and wheelchairs.

THE MS WALK is a national initiative to raise funds for research towards a cure for Multiple Sclerosis, a disease of the central nervous system that can cause fatigue, poor balance, cognitive changes, and paralysis. In the United States, one person every hour is diagnosed with MS. Research has resulted in five FDA approved treatments for MS. 17% of proceeds from the Walks are needed for management or fundraising, with the remainder going to local or national programs and research. The annual Charlotte MS Walk begins in Freedom Park on a Saturday morning in either March or April. The option of a two-mile or a five-mile walk makes this a family friendly event.

THE SHEPHERD'S GIFT is an alternative gift-giving opportunity initiated by PUMC Global and Local Missions Committees in December 2001. Members may opt to honor business associates, family members, neighbors, and other friends by giving donations in their names to the global or local mission of their choice. Our committees process checks through the PUMC business office, and provide gift cards to each donor.

WEEKEND MEALS was founded by Providence United Methodist Church and Bethlehem Center in 1985, to provide meals to home-bound senior citizens in the Southside Home area. A Bethlehem Center social worker screens clients; Mercy Hospital provides the meals. PUMC volunteers work in pairs to pick up meals from the hospital kitchen, then deliver one meal on Saturday and one on Sunday to each client. Each volunteer team delivers meals six times a year. The development of friendships between our committee members and lonely, grateful clients is a side effect of this Christian mission.

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