We are all in need of a dose of good news these days. A photo of a visit from a loved one outside of a nursing home, news of nightly cheers for healthcare workers leaving their 7pm shifts; anything that shows us that we are truly all in this together and we will come out of this stronger and more united.
Charlotte residents are not waiting for opportunities to help out, they are created their own fundraisers and using their talents and connections to make a difference right now. We know that there are many more efforts to highlight, please send a note to scoopit (at) gmail.com so we can continue to share their stories.
Supporting Front Line Healthcare Workers
Noda Brewing’s Zuper Heroes helps support healthcare workers
Noda Brewing has released Zuper Heroes to support our healthcare heroes and is donating 10% of all sales to 22 And You, a fundraising effort by Christian McCaffrey to support front-line medical workers including physicians, nurses and other hospital staff battling the COVID-19 pandemic in hospitals throughout the Carolinas.
Atrium’s Friday evening Make Some Noise Events
Atrium Health’s first “Make Noise to Make a Difference” event showed so much support and provided so much motivation for our healthcare heroes that they are keeping it going! This is an easy one to take part in, step outside every Friday night at 7 p.m. and make some noise. Let your local healthcare professionals and neighbors know you’re in this fight with them, too.
Ring a bell. Clap your hands. Shake a tambourine. Bang a wooden spoon against a pot. Cheer at the top of your lungs. Capture photos and videos and share on your social media. Use the hashtags #ThanksHealthHeroes and #AtriumHealthProud
Feeding the Frontline
Feed the Frontline Mecklenburg County is working with local restaurants to provide meals to first responders, nurses, doctors, and all healthcare workers who are on the frontline fighting for the health of our community in Mecklenburg County every day. Cowfish, Hawthorne’s Pizza and Jersey Mike’s are just a few of the restaurants participating in their efforts.
#CLTStrong uses local restaurants to send meals directly to the hospitals.
Former hospital nurse and Charlotte resident, Caroline Few Elliot wanted to give back to “her people”. When she reached out to see what was needed the most, the majority responded with requests for personal protection equipment and food. That led Caroline and her husband Frank to reach out to friends and family with a goal of using local restaurants to send meals directly to the hospitals.
The GoFundMe effort exploded and they have raised their goals more than a few times, donations have exceeded $67K! Follow the #CLTStrong story and make a donation here with a note of thanks to our healthcare workers.
#CLTgivePPE addresses the shortage of personal protection equipment for healthcare workers
CLTgivePPE is a CLT grassroots movement that was created by Dr. Sheila Natarajan along with other local doctors and community advocates to address the massive shortage of personal protection equipment (PPE) in our local clinics and healthcare systems during this COVID-19 crisis. They have found a pre-fabricated reusable, nonporous, filtered, disinfect-able respirator mask that conforms to the face and provides significantly more protection than a regular surgical mask. Coupled with a face shield being 3D printed by Charlotte Latin students, this would provide sustainable protection far safer than a plain surgical mask.
Each mask is $7, to save a life. Get involved by making a monetary donation here or if you sew, they are also organizing community efforts to make and sew masks and medical gowns to protect our providers and patients.
Clean Juice helps donate juices to healthcare professionals
After an initial $1,000 donation from NASCAR champion Martin Truex Jr. and Sherry Pollex, Clean Juice was able to deliver more than 200 cold-pressed juices to Novant Health in uptown Charlotte to fuel the nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals on the front lines of this global virus pandemic. For a $5 donation, you can donate a juice that will be delivered directly to our healthcare community.
Tree Tops Needlecrafters sews facemasks and creates DIY template
The Tree Top Needlecrafters, a local group of seamstresses in Lancaster, SC have been sewing items for the Levine Children’s Hospital for many years. Upon learning of the shortage of masks needed for the Covid pandemic, the group switch gears quickly and started sewing face masks for both adults and children that can be used if the supply of medical grade masks is depleted. They have already donated 1000s of masks and have posted a sewing template for others to join them in helping to protect our healthcare workers and patients.
Photo Credit | Levine Children’s Hospital Facebook page
If you would like to join the Tree Top Needlecrafters along with several other local volunteer sewers, please email communitybenefit@atriumhealth.org for more information. Link for instructions (adult masks): https://bddy.me/2yeOJXm
Link for instructions (pediatric masks): https://bddy.me/2X0GVDb
Krispy Kreme provides Free Dozens
Photo Credit | Krispy Kreme Facebook page
To share joy among the millions in the medical community, and to show their gratitude for all they are doing, Krispy Kreme will provide all healthcare workers free dozens of their Original Glazed® Doughnuts every Monday now through National Nurses Week (May 6-12). Healthcare workers can go to a Krispy Kreme drive-thru and show them their employer badge.
Re Salon and Med Spa donates 6500 masks
Re Salon and Med Spa donated 6,500+ medical grade masks to Atrium Health hospitals. These masks will be given to their teams at the front lines across North Carolina.
LeighDeux makes mask coverlets
Charlotte bedding and decor company LeighDeux, has coordinated with their mills to manufacture face masks. Their face mask is designed to bring a little style and joy to the current situation. The masks are not a medical grade, but can be worn over disposable medical masks. The masks ship within 3-5 days of order and are made of 100% microfiber. They are made in North Carolina and are machine washable and reusable. 100% of profits will be donated to the First Responders Children’s Foundation.
M2M- Mom 2 Mom Network supplies boxed meals and gift cards for fast meals and snacks
When moms are on a mission, things happen fast. This is true of the local Mom 2 Mom Charlotte Facebook group better known as M2M. In three days of posting in their group of a plan to donate meals to local hospitals, their members donated over $3000. The funds were used to supply boxed meals from locally owned restaurants and gift cards for fast meals and snacks. They were distributed to all four major hospitals in Charlotte. The moms are not finished, a second fundraiser is already underway to continue to show the local healthcare community that Charlotte.
Enderly Coffee Company does coffee drops
Local Charlotte company, Enderly Coffee is organizing coffee drops for medical professionals. For $25 you can send 2 lbs of coffee and a hand written note to a nurse with the option of mailing it to someone you know anywhere in America OR simply anonymously donating. The first coffee drop drive gave 70 healthcare workers at Mercy Hospital a 2 pound bag of coffee with a personalized note. The boxes cleared out in less than 15 minutes! Follow Enderly Coffee’s Facebook page to be involved in the next coffee drop.
Charlotteans Leaving Positive Notes for Healthcare Workers at Atrium Health
3D Printed Face Shields Created by Charlotte Latin School for Local Medical Staff
Read more about this early local effort to help supply the need.
Help for Hospitality and Small Businesses
Charlotte companies Third Rock Events and Glory Days Apparel have joined forces to raise funds for friends and neighbors in the service industry that have been placed out of work due to Covid 19.
Do you or someone you know have what it takes to be one of the 12 guys featured in the Men of the Rail Trail calendar? READ HOW TO NOMINATE HIM (or them) HERE.
Scarf & Blazer creates t-shirt for hospitality donation
Scarf & Blazer is donating 100% of the proceeds from this shirt to two charities, The Charlotte Chapter of NACE (National Association of Catering and Events), and CORE (Children of Restaurant Employees), where qualifying families are provided grants to cover medical bills of children, gas cards, groceries, clothing, medical supplies, mortgage payments, and more.
Girl Tribe Co. donates to CLT small biz mini grants
Girl Tribe has created a clothing collection where $10 from each product is collected to help local Charlotte small businesses through mini grants. They have raised over $3,000 to give back and would love to keep that number going up and help more small businesses. Order a tee or hat here.
Fine & Fettle Charlotte feeds the culinary industry
Along with Sysco Charlotte and several amazing chefs, the chefs behind new Southpark restaurant Fine & Fettle, are preparing meals for those in need in the culinary industry. Every Tuesday and Saturday, they are giving out meals that feed 4-6. Look for the new non-profit called Underground Table and in the meantime consider a $15 donation to continue feeding our neighbors in need.
Send Direct Support to a Laid Off Local
CLT Laid Off Locals is an Instagram account seeking to give attention to local Charlotteans laid off due to Covid-19. Each post features an individual with their story, where they were working and how to send them financial support. Follow and scroll, you may find lots of faces you know that could use a hand.
Capizzi, MD + Skincare, Y2 Yoga, and DryBar Team Up for Give Back Giveaway
Capizzi, MD + Skincare, Y2 Yoga, and DryBar, are giving away FIVE complete wellness packages as well as donating $1 to Second Harvest Food Bank for each person that enters this contest. FIVE lucky people will win: ZO Skin Health Daily Skincare Program, 20 units of Botox with Grace Anglin at Capizzi MD, DryBar Charlotte Blowout Gift Card, and a Y2 Yoga 3-Class Pass. Check out this Instagram post for more info and to enter.
Roots Catering Food Donation Effort
In normal times, Roots Catering partners with Feeding Charlotte to share excess and unserved food from their commercial kitchens. In the current crisis, they have pivoted in a few ways, one of which is using the staff they have and food donations from suppliers to prepare food at-cost for Feeding Charlotte. They are actively accepting donations to this program – donors can purchase a gift card on the Roots website and designate “Feeding America” as the recipient.
5Church starts TeamRelief GoFundMe for staff.
“We’re asking our friends and family to help take care of our staff. We have created a GoFundMe to help keep our team afloat during this time. To donate go to the link in bio || Being apart of an industry built to give, its not easy to ask for help. Our industry is seeing without a doubt one of the most challenging times it has ever faced. No donation is too small.”
Good Food Deeds via @sharecharlotte
- Chef Gregory Collier from Uptown Yolk is helping to feed 100 kids living in Orchard Trace breakfast through Heal Charlotte.
- Enderly Coffee is offering coffee drops to medical professionals which includes 2lbs coffee and a handwritten note. These can be sponsored by the community for $25 each.
- The Loyalist Market and Deli in Matthews, has committed to providing lunch to the students of The Nest Academy every single day until school resumes to relieve families’ burden during the quarantine.
Charlotte Agenda establishes #tipCLT website
Agenda just launched #tipCLT, a webpage where you can give a virtual tip to a service industry professional who’s been financially affected by coronavirus. When you go to the site, click “Meet Your Server” to randomly generate the Venmo account of a service industry professional in need of financial assistance. Then, click the Venmo button and type in how much you want to give. It’s easy. Nice work CA.
Free lunch for Charlotte-area kids
In Matthews, The Loyalist Market has sparked city-wide movement. They’re aiming to provide free lunches for Charlotte-area students whose food availability may be impacted by school closures. More restaurants are joining in ~ the last list is below.
Support Local or Else
Looking for an easy way to support local businesses? Look no further than supportlocalorelse.com. You’ll find promotions, deals and ways to remotely support brands like Sycamore, Girl Tribe, Bardo and Glory Days Apparel, UpDog Kombucha and more.
Buy a Gift Card or Two Now to Keep Local Businesses’ Cash Flow Propped Up. Use or Donate Now or Later.
The Yelp list at the link is a good resource for gift card online ordering, deals etc.
