St. Mark’s hosted homeless men every Tuesday night during January and February again in 2026. Many hands make this possible and we are blessed and grateful for those who volunteer to prepare dinner and breakfast, drive from and to Roof Above, and stay at the church with our guests. Donations are also requested for bedtime snacks and toiletries for the men.
Over 8 nights this season, we kept 78 unhoused neighbors off the street through Room in the Inn – including 6 women, 4 children, and 68 men. We thank everyone who volunteered, donated, and prayed. Your compassion made a tangible difference!
Many thanks to our business partners, Enterprise Rent-A-Car (South Tryon) and Lapels Cleaners (Park Road). Their generous support was essential to another successful Room in the Inn season at St. Mark’s. Please consider them for your travel and laundry needs!
The baker’s rack in the Gathering Place is where donations of canned and packaged food are collected for transport to Nourish Up. Social Ministry delivered 554 lbs of food in November and December of 2025 and 121 lbs in April. Susan Ginns delivered the food and is pictured above, receiving the following word of thanks:
Thank you for believing in, and being a part of, the Nourish Up mission — feeding our neighbors with food and compassion. Your donation of 121 lbs. of food provides groceries and meals to our neighbors in need. Your generosity makes a tremendous impact. In 2025, Nourish Up provided nutritious groceries to 169,099 people through our food pantries and our grocery home delivery program. Of those, 28,265 had their groceries delivered directly to their doorstep by volunteers through grocery home delivery. In addition, volunteers delivered more than 143,000 nutritiously prepared meals to those unable to obtain or prepare meals for themselves due to age, disability, or illness through our Meals on Wheels program. We cannot nourish our neighbors without neighbors like you. Thank you for your support and compassion. Sincerely, Martha Cochrane, Community Engagement Coordinator
Children’s Advocacy Center of Charlotte (formerly Pat’s Place) is the only child advocacy center in Mecklenburg County serving children from birth to age 18. Their mission is to provide a safe, comforting environment that reduces trauma and promotes healing for children experiencing abuse.
To help make children feel welcome and cared for during their visits, we collected items from their wish list, including: Individual snacks: Goldfish, Pringles, Veggie Straws, pretzels, Kidz Clif ZBars, and Welch’s fruit snacks; Toys & activities: slime, sticker sets, Crayola markers, coloring books, journals, sketch pads, Barbies, and superhero action figures. We were able to help “shower” these children with love and comfort through our donations!