Please read this great blog about our recent event and new partnership with Queens University in Charlotte.
We are excited about the fantastic day and looking forward to many more! 💚💙
https://www.queens.edu/blog/day-of-scholarship-and-service-a-new-tradition/
A view of our setup at Queens University last month.
Union Academy K-12 students and staff once again had the opportunity to partner with Servants With a Heart to pack meals for those in need around the world. Having collaborated with this incredible organization multiple times, this event remains one of our favorite days of the year! This time, we extended our schedule, allowing us to pack over 71,000 meals—our most impactful effort yet.
Throughout the day, students not only learned about the program but also engaged in meaningful, hands-on service by working together to assemble meals. They enjoyed the experience of collaborating with their school family groups, strengthening bonds while making a difference. This event continues to be a highlight of Union Academy’s Annual Community Service Day.
The team at Servants With a Heart is truly outstanding! From setup to cleanup, they are well-organized, professional, accommodating, and always friendly. Their seamless coordination, combined with the dedication of our volunteers, made for another successful event. Our school community is deeply grateful for this partnership and proud to support an organization making such a positive impact on the world.
Please read this wonderful article about our recent packing event at Union Academy.
This K-12 charter school in Monroe, NC has been partnering with us since 2014 and has packed over 300,000 meals during that time! We are grateful for their willingness to volunteer and for the emphasis they place on teaching kids how to make an impact in their local community and internationally.
We are happy to say that a container cleared customs in Nicaragua and will now be distributed! We have had a lot of difficulty shipping to Nicaragua over the past couple years with changes in government rules concerning nonprofits, particularly in the meal distribution arena.
This container was shipped March 18, 2024, so took nearly a year to reach Convoy of Hope. Meals packed at Relevant Church in Lake Wylie SC, River Oaks Church in Clemmons NC, Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy in Charlotte NC, Forest Hill Church in Fort Mill SC, McKee Road Elementary School in Charlotte NC, and our own SWH Impact Day (1.20.24) are all included in this shipment.
See below for some photos sent to us by Convoy of Hope showing the boxes these great groups packed in their Nicaragua warehouse! These meals will make a big impact on children and their families in Nicaragua, and we are grateful for all the students, families, and individual volunteers who worked hard to pack them. 💙💚
In the letter of James, we read, “If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?” (James 2:15-16) Like the Good Samaritan, God calls us to answer and fill the material and spiritual needs that people lack, and answer, we do.
This year marked the third year of the Saint Philip Neri Annual World Hunger Drive. The focus of the drive is to help our brothers and sisters in need in Haiti, and here in our local community. Each year, over 660 volunteers from our parish, along with their families and friends, come together to pack meals. Over the past three years, our parish has packed over 640,660 meals. In partnership with the St. Matthew World Hunger Drive Ministry in Charlotte, NC, we have shipped 551,960 of these meals to Haiti, and distributed 88,700 meals to local nonprofit organizations who assist individuals and families in need of food. This year, in response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, with the assistance of the Fort Mill 10-13 Club, we transported 49,250 meals for distribution in Western North Carolina.
A special thank you to Servants With a Heart for their continued partnership over these past three years, equipping our faith community with everything needed to host our meal packing events. We could never have accomplished this without your wonderful organization.
Today’s blog is from our new partner, Atulado Ministries!
Cuba captivates many with its vibrant culture, diverse cuisine, stunning beaches, and iconic vintage cars that transport you to a bygone era. Yet, what you won’t read on travel blogs and hear from Instagram influencers is about the Cuban people themselves. Despite living in a third-world country and facing daily challenges, Cubans radiate optimism, warmth, and hospitality, welcoming even a stranger they may meet on the street. When asked a simple question like "How are you?" they graciously share their blessings and begrudgingly share their challenges. Recognizing the deep needs and opportunities to share God’s love, Atulado Ministries is dedicated to investing in the people of Cuba for His Kingdom.
Atulado Ministries is a non-profit based in Charlotte, NC, and established after its founder saw and experienced the impact training and resources can have on a pastor and leadership team of a church on various mission trips. Not only does this ministry share much-needed resources and offer spiritual growth for Cubans, but it also provides Christian renewal to the people who serve.
The name Atulado means “by your side,” and they stand ready to support pastors and leaders of the Church in Cuba who share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and provide resources to their community. Many resources serve as a tool for evangelism. Pastors or leaders will take a resource to the streets in Cuba for an opportunity to nourish bodies and souls by sharing the Word of Christ with people. Also, some resources draw communities to the church and provide an opportunity for people to learn about Jesus.
Examples of the resources they’ve shared include Bible study materials, powdered milk, blood pressure cuffs, water filters, reading glasses, medical supplies, and, most recently, servants with a heart meals. The fortified rice packets containing 70,000 meals are still being distributed on the island, and countless stories and photos have been received of the impact on people’s lives. This was the first partnership project with SWH, and we look forward to many other opportunities to transform lives for God’s Kingdom.
To learn more about Atulado Ministries, you can join their e-mail list or join a mission trip.
We are very excited to share that we are working with a new partner to deliver meals…in Cuba! Our first shipment of 70,000 meals is currently being distributed throughout Cuba by partners of Atulado Ministries, a nonprofit based here in Charlotte NC. We already have more than 175 photos (some are posted below) and many firsthand accounts of the impact SWH food is making in the lives of hungry children and adults in the needy nation.
The meals in this shipment were packed by volunteers at Elevation Church Riverwalk in Rock Hill SC, Sugar Creek Elementary School in Fort Mill SC, and Union Academy in Monroe NC. We are grateful to each individual, family, and student who helped make this exciting shipment happen. Without your efforts, we would not be able to have such a big influence on so many people!
In addition to the photos, many of the pastors distributing the meals have shared stories about specific recipients (translated from Spanish).
“Many abundant blessings for all this team of men and women of God, I am Pastor Jonathan Cabrera of the City of Bayamo. We participate in the great blessing of the packages of rice. The local leadership team in the church is sharing this food with people in extreme need, and they share some images of these very special moments.”
“Once again, on behalf of the Evangelical Church, as pastor of the same, we would like to express our most sincere thanks for such noble kindness that you have had for us in this ministry. We thank you, Pastor Ofelio Platero.”
“This woman lives with her mother who has personality and social problems. We thank God for being a channel of blessing, for being able to reach all these people with terrible situations and be able to help. God bless the entire Atulado and HTF team.”
“This lady with cancer, the Lord has taken her out of difficult times, her faith has kept her going.”
“This lady says that she had nothing to eat today, but that God is never late.”
“This man lives with his 13-year-old son and tells us that yesterday he and his son went to bed without eating anything, because food is scarce and the prices that do appear are very high.”
Please pray for the recipients of the food, as well as for those distributing meals. We look forward to sending many more meals to Cuba in the near future!
Today’s blog is written by Rebekah Baldi, from Jenkins Restorations in Chantilly, VA
Last weekend, I had the opportunity to participate in my 8thannual food packing event with Servants With a Heart. It was hosted by Jenkins Restorations at their company headquarters in Chantilly, VA.
It was dark, cold, and windy when I first arrived that morning but that didn’t matter. I was warm with excitement as I looked forward to the events of the day. The set-up team was already in the building quickly moving all the pieces into place to prepare for our first packing shift. After the event was set up, I began welcoming our volunteers and assigning their packing tables. Some of our experienced volunteers take this part very seriously as our event has a tradition of creating a little friendly competition to see what table can pack the most boxes of meals.
While I love the competition, my favorite part of the event is seeing our families and community come together to serve others. I spoke with many new volunteers who had come to the food packing event for their very first time and I was able to share with them SWH’s mission to feed hungry families in Charlotte and around the world. Many were amazed at the international impact this event would have, and the incredible journey this food would take to get to those in need.
Speaking to these volunteers reminds me why volunteering matters so much. And, how the impact goes beyond the families we’re serving. It affects the individual volunteers, their families, and the communities they live within.
Communities who serve together build stronger internal bonds, have greater impact, and create a culture of purpose. When you volunteer within your community, you can’t help but build new connections. Volunteering brings together people of all demographics, experiences, and backgrounds and places them together with a unified purpose. This collaboration promotes empathy and compassion and helps us to see past individual differences.
The event this past weekend was no different. For my second shift, I packed food at a table with first time packing event volunteers. These volunteers found out about the food packing event through my kids’ school, but I hadn’t previously met them. This opened the door for us to build new connections as we came together to serve a joint mission of feeding the hungry.
The rest of the table were already friends, enjoying an opportunity to strengthen their existing bond by serving together. They worked well as a team, finding roles that each person was comfortable performing. They were patient with each other, not pressuring anyone who may not have been working as quickly as the others. It was about the success of the team, not the individual.
Many of our volunteers come to the packing event with their spouses and children in tow. I get asked every year if it is okay to bring young children to volunteer, and the answer is always YES! Volunteering with your kids is great for strengthening family bonds and creating a positive example for them to follow. In fact, volunteering with your children, even those that are very little, can help to instill in them wonderful values and life skills.
I have personally brought my children along to every packing event I’ve been involved with. It’s gotten to the point where they are disappointed if they aren’t available to attend an event. I’ve seen firsthand how volunteering for the food packing events has expanded their service mindedness and inspired them to support other causes they are passionate about. This confidence and compassion for social impact can certainly be related to their exposure of charitable giving and volunteerism at an early age. It’s brought us together as a family, where we can share our passions and drive to serve others.
This year, we had over 100 volunteers in attendance including students, families, friends and co-workers. It was incredible to see these service-minded individuals working together to feed the hungry. My competitive counterparts even set the all time record by completing 37 boxes of meals at just one table. But more importantly than competition, we helped Servants With a Heart pack its 29 millionth meal and we packed over 69,000 meals together!
None of this would be possible without each and every individual who raised their hand to volunteer their time and give to this important cause. I am so grateful to the Servants With a Heart team who put this event together, and allowed us to play a part in their mission. I know lives are touched by these opportunities, and that includes my own.
What an amazing day bringing our Pleasant Knoll Middle School family together for our First Day of Service! To pack over 58,000 meals going to children and families in need in Nicaragua and Western North Carolina was priceless and a first for most of our students and staff! Listen to their words…
I LOVED it! It was great to see the students take ownership and work as a team. I thought servants with a heart did an excellent job also setting up the students for success.
I absolutely loved this for our students! I loved that we gave some to Western NC as well. I grew up there and know what difficulties they have ahead.
I loved the Day of Service because it made me feel happy knowing that our hard work fed hungry children and possibly saved lives.
It was really fun! I think it spread awareness and also allowed our school to really connect as a whole.
I loved it! It was such a wonderful way to give back and also put other people's situations in our student's minds and hopefully help put their problems into perspective.
What we did was fun and meaningful for others. I love helping the planet and each other. This would be amazing and fun to do again!
The Day of Service made me feel good because I was helping others in need.
I thought it was well run and you could work with a team and use teamwork.
It was very fun putting in all the ingredients for the kids in Latin and Central America.
It was very fun and it made me feel happy that I am making a difference.
I thought it was a cool experience that not many schools do.
It was a good experience getting to work with the people in the organization and to be able to help people who needed help.
I really liked scooping the food into the bags. I wish we were able to do more bags, but I really enjoyed it and it was interesting learning about the lives of the kids.
I think the Day of Service was really fun and productive. It helped students learn more about the world and the importance of helping others in need.
Kind and Giving
I really like the day of service. I thought it was very fun, and very helpful for the people that need the food. It helped me feel like I was actually able to help people for once. It really made me and other people happy. I think we should always do this every year. It helped me learn a lot about the people we were going to give the food to.
Happy.
I thought it was cool getting to do something for people in Nicaragua. I also thought it was cool because we got to make notes for them which could of made a poor kid happy.
It was a very fun activity to do and me knowing that I was going to help thousands of kids made it even more fun!!!
Watch a video of their experience here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2aqlwiJdg8
Enjoy this fantastic video of the Sugar Creek Elementary Day of Service last spring. Now that school has started again, let us know if your school is interested in hosting its own packing event!
