WCNC Charlotte this is Flashpoint
where power and politics collide and
the tough questions get asked and answered.
Thanks for joining us here for a
special holiday edition of Flashpoint.
I'm Ben Thompson.
It is the season of giving.
So today we're looking at ways the
Charlotte community is really giving back,
and giving back in big ways.
It has been a tough year for a lot of folks.
A year of record inflation and
a downturn in the economy led
some folks to lose their jobs.
Today we're highlighting a few
organizations making holiday
wishes come true every single day.
Joining us now, Melissa Hubby,
she's serves as the Managing
director of Cher Charlotte.
They're a local group partnering
with more than 400 organizations
to help support nonprofits.
Melissa, thanks for coming
on. Thank you for having me.
Well, as we celebrate the holidays
with with family and friends,
we also know so many folks don't have
the relatives or more importantly
the resources so many of us rely on.
So what kind of year has it been
for an organization like yours that
that really has your hands in so
many different parts of the greater
Charlotte area that are in need?
Yeah. You know, we're seeing
so much need across the board.
I mean, inflation, right?
The story of 2022 is affecting
everything from, you know,
families who, you know,
think about families where there's
no wiggle room in the budget for
an extra 9% of cost and food or
increased rents and things like that.
So they rely on local nonprofits
to help fill in the gaps.
And, you know, you know, which,
you know, the cycle continues
the food prosper and nonprofit.
So it's just.
Been a real struggle for so many people
in our community and not just the people.
If you think about,
you know, feeding animals,
feeding birds up the Raptor center,
you know the cost of feed,
they're 900 birds a year
has gone up substantially.
So everyone's really struggling with
the increased cost across the board.
And so really as a community,
we we just really would love for
people to come in and give or
donate in any way they can to help.
Fill in those gaps that we're seeing.
What you do is really interesting and you
affect so many different kinds of of people.
Help us explain what Sheriff Charlotte
is able to do and and how you're
able to help out so many groups.
Wow. Yeah. So, you know, we,
through our online platform,
which is unique in the country, right.
No one really has this, this,
this Google of nonprofits, if you will,
for just Mecklenburg County.
So our nonprofits here,
we have actually 630 on our website,
which is a large majority of
the nonprofits here in town.
So people can come on and find
nonprofits they can connect with.
We're really trying to make
it so easy for the community,
our neighbors to find and connect with
local nonprofits so they can lend their.
Money, their time,
their talents to local nonprofits
and make that direct impact for them.
And so you know we what we are
able to do is have one place for
the Community to come whether
it be a connection through our
online platform or events.
We create that connection and that
ability to for you as a neighbor
to go and find the nonprofit that
you want to go support and and
give your time and talents.
Here
you're talking about I think the
gift shop and it's it is really
interesting something that you guys do.
And folks can go go on your
website and pick an organization.
Pick supplies to help that organization.
It it gives people real
tangible way to give back.
Where did this idea come from?
Yeah, you know, it came from, you know,
just seeing the need from nonprofits to say,
you know, you know, they were spending
their budget on the items that people
need like can openers for example.
You know, loaves and fishes needs can openers
so that when they're giving out food,
you know, and cans that someone has that.
So they were spending their own money.
But through our gift shop we
were able to make that easy.
And and Amazon really helps make it
really easy, right, that you can just
in a couple of clicks shock someone's.
Nonprofits wish list, and the items
are shipped directly to their door.
You know where your money's going,
and you know it can be when you
might not have a whole lot to give.
Maybe you can give less than $5 to support
a can opener for Lowe's and Fishes.
But it's really about, you know,
our job and our mission is just to make
sure that nonprofits get the support they
need to run their organization so that
they can help people in our community.
And so we try to offer the most
simple and effective ways that
the Community can support them.
Understandably, this is a broad question,
but what do you see is is the greatest
need right now in our community?
Right. You know,
it it comes back to basics.
It comes to food, it comes to housing,
you know, in those areas where
costs are going up so much,
anything that anyone can do in the
Community to to really want people to
give in any way that means the most
to them what needs most of their hearts.
But you know if you're thinking about
where people are really struggling right now,
it's the cost of food and the cost
of housing is is just really going up
and making it unmanageable and it's
for the people you wouldn't really.
Think about like the teachers,
people who are not making the big
salaries you know that you know they
are the ones that are having to now
talk to Lowe's and bushes or second
Harvest Food bank about needing some
extra food and their entry this year.
So you know it's just think about how you
know if your budget is being squeezed,
someone with a really low budgets
really being squeezed.
So I would just ask people to hopefully
it got a little extra donate to local
nonprofit and food and housing or
really anywhere all costs are going up.
Any donation matters.
Speaking of any donation, if somebody can't
give a monetary donation, what are some,
some other ways that folks can give back?
Yeah, you know, volunteer time.
You know, you can pledge
volunteer time through our site.
You know, you pick an organization
and sign up to volunteer with them.
It really just connects you to that
organization and you can figure
out what time makes sense for you.
But volunteer time volunteers
have gone down so much since
the pandemic and organizations.
And the volunteers to run their
organization organization to sort
the food to you know do anything
that you know they may not have
the staff to to manage.
And so time is so valuable it's
actually worth almost $30.00
an hour for a nonprofit.
So just think if you can't give money,
which is OK you can give maybe a
couple hours next year in 2023 can
make it part of your New Year's
resolution to give back in terms of
time to local organization and that.
Mean so much to so many different groups.
In what ways do you see organization
evolving and the need evolving
as we head into the new Year?
Yeah, you know, I think you know.
And unfortunately,
some things never change in terms of
the need for people to give their time.
I think with things opening back
up and the need to come together,
you know, becomes greater, you know,
I think the need for volunteerism
is going to go just up even more.
You know, I think there's just some big
themes that we go into next year is,
you know, we need to care about,
you know, how things, you know,
how much things are costing and
how we can get back in that way.
We need to think about our environment.
You know, that's such a critical
piece of how are we?
As meeting members helping to help
keep our environment clean and our
air clean and things like that.
So I would say,
you know as things evolve and
as we go into 2023,
we just need to make sure that we
are looking after our Community
members and our citizens and we just
ask everyone to just think about
ways that you and your families or
your with your loved ones can help
make a difference in our community.
We we really can set a standard here
in Charlotte for how philanthropy
is done right and how we can
all work together to make our.
Stronger
alright here's your chance to
make your pitch folks at home
this Christmas time with the
family they're feeling generous.
What's the best way they can
support share Charlotte and some
of your partner organizations
yes please go to sharecharlotte.org
and I would say just look at we've
got a holiday nonprofit gift guide
on our site that has some of the
wishes of our local nonprofits.
That's an easy way to shop.
You can see what they need
and or just you know.
Look with your heart through
our filters on our site.
It helps you really navigate through
our 630 nonprofits to find one that
means the most to you and your family.
And I'd say get together and
find one that you say, you know,
let's support them this year.
Let's make a difference for their
organization and give our money or our time.
And I think you're going to feel
really good about doing that.
I do recommend going on your website.
It's it's very easy,
nifty and sort of user friendly.
And you can give back in an easy,
tangible, also transparent.
Alright, alright Melissa
hubby with share Charlotte.
Lisa thanks for coming on.
Happy holidays,
happy holidays. Thanks so much.
Have a great day.
More flashpoint after this.