I did some volunteer work with the Urban Ministry Center's Community Works 945 project earlier this…read moreyear, and it was an amazing place. The 945 Project combines efforts from artists and activists within our community with the talents of local homeless for various projects to beautify our community and to help the local homeless move towards employment and self-sufficiency. I did a little tutoring for folks studying for the GED exam as well as helping people with resumes, and it was a fulfilling experience. The environment around the 945 building is amazing. There's all this art all over the place, and people kind of wander in and out to work on their projects and talk about what's going on in their lives. It was a really healing, healthy place to hang out, and I met a lot of interesting people. If you're public-service inclined and looking for a place to do some volunteer work, I'd recommend checking out the Urban Ministry Center. They are pretty creative about putting people's skills to work, so you might be surprised at how they can use your talents.

It is so nice what they are doing here. It is a place that the less fortunate can go to for food…read more They can also do their laundry there. There are arts and crafts and it turns out a lot of the neighbors there can make some nice art! They can also sell it at the fairs they have too which is awesome. It's always good to give out a helping hand.

These are my favorite type of things to Yelp about. A purely positive endeavor for the good of…read morethose who need it most. An unobtrusive structure that you may not notice while driving on Rock Hill Road. The Blessing Box looks a little bit like a chicken coup. The story behind this blessing in the parking lot of a Baptist, Church in Concord is by the hands of a thoughtful, local preteen boy looking to love on the community. He was able to create a repository of food, information and inspiration. Anyone who wants can provide or partake of nonperishable items and groceries anonymously. I stopped by after admiring the gesture and decided to add a few items. I plan to do so regularly. It is written... "God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:7

We are living in such difficult times, which is why I'm excited to see one of the blessing boxes in…read moremy town, that was designed and built by one of my former Boy Scouts Carlin Crawford. As my sister and I placed various items on the shelves we couldn't help but realize how this blessing box is such a Godsend to so many families that are struggling and may not have food on their table. The Blessing box sits in the parking lot of a small church (Living Faith Church Of The Brethren) a few feet from Rock Hill Church Road, which is a pretty busy street, where people see the Blessing Box and slow down to count their blessings or be a blessing to others. The Blessing Box is always neat, well organized and very well stocked with soups, vegetables, pasta, snacks and books to name a few items. The placards on it says "Take what you need - Leave what you can," (so heart warming). The Blessing Box was Carlin's way of giving back to the community while working towards his Eagle Scout requirement, but little did he know that he would be the bridge that carries some families across. Kudos call Carlin and everyone who supports his project.

This bright free pantry is located next to a parking lot that serves Revolution Park. It is a…read morebright white with green trim and stands on a single reinforced white post. The single door is secured with a catch. Inside, two shelves. Today, those shelves were empty except for two children's books. I need to buy a box of canned goods from ALDI next time so that I have stuff to put into these neighborhood food banks. This Blessing Box is not on the Little Free Pantry database map so I don't know who sponsors it - the Greater Mount Sinai Baptist Church is nearby, maybe it's them? [Review 39 of 2025 - 4022 in North Carolina - 23610 overall]

Great help also love giving back as well .................................................... I…read moredon't know anything about this stuff here.

Place was wonderful at first and everything i thought it would be then it just turned into a dump…read morewitb he worst service! Don't recommend this place at allowing

This Little Free Pantry is located in front of the South Tryon Community UMC. It's part of the…read more"mini pantry movement" that is "a grassroots, crowdsourced solution to immediate and local need." This is a very urban neighborhood with some low income housing nearby and there are generally some residentially challenged folks about too. I stopped to see if I could pop some canned goods into this pantry. It was empty today and the door had been pulled off. This food bank is in need of attention. I don't know if the church is still active - their Facebook hasn't updated in nearly two years. [Review 38 of 2025 - 4021 in North Carolina - 23609 overall]

This large food bank is located at the entrance to the Christ Church of Gastonia and is visible to…read moreall as they drive in and exit the church. A little bare today with just a few food items. Two hand-packed bags of what looks like it could be either kibble or trail mix and one can of food. It's something. [Review 109 of 2025 - 4078 in North Carolina - 23676 overall]

I came here as a chaperone to attend a Grace cooking class. The class was wonderful and gave all…read morethe participants a chance to learn great cooking skills. The instructors were all very patient and knowledgeable while guiding each participant proper ways to cut vegetables, and checking for doneness on protein items while making a balanced meal. The theme for today was 4th of July grilling. The participants were taught how to assemble a vegetable skewer, season it and put it on the grill. They also made hamburgers and hotdogs, how to slice tomatoes and onions for the burgers and assemble their meal with condiments and toppings. Everyone got to choose what they wanted to make and which vegetables they wanted on their skewer. They cut the vegetables into smaller pieces and threaded them on the bamboo skewers. They learned how to flip burgers safely on the hot grill and to keep a proper distance from the heat. In the end everyone had a complete meal of a hamburger or hotdog, grilled vegetables and French fries. Second Harvest has many other culinary classes available and I'll be looking into others for sure. The facilities are all very clean and they use all the best food handling and safety practices. I love that programs like this exist to help people of all abilities learn life skills. There is much more to the food bank than just food.