CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Those in need can always get a hot meal from Block Love Charlotte.
Executive Director Deborah Phillips is making her famous chicken noodle soup ahead of the dinner rush on Saturday evening.
“We’re going to provide our neighbors with thermals that we just got from your office. So, we’re very, very excited to be able to pass out thermals this evening. We’re making sure our neighbors have hot hands,” Phillips said.
Block Love Charlotte was one of four nonprofit organizations the county announced as warming centers for the weekend. Temperatures were as low as 30 degrees Thursday and Friday night.
Phillips says more than 50 people took advantage of being inside.
“So we had hot chocolate and coffee ready and grits and oatmeal. So it’s just making sure that those needs are met before they leave these doors. And when we open them again in the morning for breakfast at 9:00,” she said.
Block Love Charlotte volunteers were out Saturday morning canvassing the neighborhood checking on those who opted to tough out the cold overnight. She says other resource organizations like Saturday Sharing were out checking on neighbors as well.
With more than 2,700 homeless individuals throughout the county, Phillips says community helping the community is one of the most important aspects of society.
“There are so many people that we can’t reach. And so we depend on others to be able to make that reach, to make that connection. And we share our information and our resources across the board. So we depend on it,” Phillips said.
County officials say eviction filings increased 37% in the past year, resulting in an additional 13,000 Mecklenburg households at risk of losing their homes and/or acquiring an eviction record.
Housing advocates say word of mouth is the best way to help those in need get the resources they need. In the last few days, it has helped her organization gather more blankets, hand warmers, and food for neighbors.
“The needs are well beyond what one organization can take care of on their own. So it’s really key that we work together,” she said.
But she says there are things that she wants to improve this year.
“The biggest thing we need to change is we need to create our own lines of communication with those shelters. We need to make sure that we’re knowing what beds are available,” Phillips explained. “A lot of times people say, how do I inform somebody? Please follow our social media page, but not just our page. That’s why it’s important to follow your Mecklenburg County page, keeping up with them and what resources are available. Follow Roof Above’s page. A lot of us share our information across organizations, and people act like our phones have been ringing nonstop since this extreme weather event. We just want to make sure that people know where to get the information to share, not because they need it, but they need to be able to give it to somebody else.”
