MAY 2026

Hello Neighbors,

Because of this incredible community, I am proud to share that we met 100% of our fundraising goal for the Summer Food Support campaign! This year we will provide food assistance to 110 local families over the summer - which is the largest number of families helped in our six-year history.

What is remarkable is that donations came from individuals, families, and corporate partners - each playing an important role in helping us reach our largest goal to date. I want to specifically thank Novant Health - Ballantyne, Brighthouse Financial, Sundt Foundation, and Speedway Children’s Charities for their gifts, which provided a significant boost to our fundraising efforts.

Thank you also to the Ardrey Kell PTSO, Jay M. Robinson PTA, and Hawk Ridge PTA for making donations.

❤️ Your generosity continues to show what a compassionate community can accomplish when we come together to care for one another.

Thank you for helping us make a meaningful difference for local families.

☀️ SUMMER GIVING FINAL REPORT ☀️

Our Summer Food Support campaign concluded this past Friday, and we are thrilled to have met our most ambitious goal yet. Together, we raised $79,344 to benefit 110 local families.

Families will receive grocery gift cards to help them fill the gap left when schools are closed and students cannot count on meals at school. These cards will be distributed through school counselors on June 2.

We want to acknowledge the loving and creative work that went into making over 300 encouraging notes that will accompany the gift cards when they are distributed. Many local community members and students from Jay M. Robinson Middle, Community House Middle, and Ardrey Kell High donated their time and talent. Thank you!

This is the final giving event of the school year - following Thanksgiving, Winter Holidays, and Spring Break. Thank you so much for your support as we work to advance our mission!

~Denise Oswald and Melissa Graham, Spring and Summer Giving Co-Chairs

PARTNERSHIPS / FOOD DRIVES

👏 We are grateful to SunCap Property Group and South Mecklenburg Presbyterian Church for their donations this month. Our corporate and community partners make fulfilling our mission possible.

👏 Thank you to the following schools and groups who supported our mission this month!

Polo Ridge Elementary held a food drive to stock the pantry
Ardrey Kell Baseball organized a canned fruit drive to stock the pantry
Ardrey Kell Pickleball Club made birthday bags
Ardrey Kell Technology Student Association held a hygiene drive
Ardrey Kell Girls in Charlotte held a feminine pads drice
Ballantyne Ridge High School held a food drive to stock the pantry

Food drives are important to keep our pantry well stocked. While we are done with our food drive calendar for the school year, if you or a group you belong to would like to hold a food drive in the future, please reach out to lauren@ballantynefamilies.org for more information.

PANTRY NEWS

In April, we fulfilled 145 shopping orders, distributing more than 3,420 items to Ballantyne families in need.

Food Items Needed:

Rice
Canned chicken and tuna
Fruit Snacks
Ramen
Pasta
Canned Corn
Lance Sandwich Crackers

🙌 If you would like to donate, please visit our Amazon Wish List.

Volunteer in the Pantry: We have only four more pantry shopping dates left in the school year! There are still volunteer slots available to help pack and deliver orders. You can sign up on our Sign Up Genius.

🌷 VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH 🌷

Congratulations to Jackie Gyoerkoe for being named as Volunteer of the Month! Jackie currently serves as School Champions Co-Chair and also assists with marketing and administrative projects.

Jackie said, "Volunteering with this organization since 2021 has been an incredibly meaningful experience for me. What started with helping pack holiday giving bags and making deliveries grew into a deeper involvement because I was so inspired by the mission and the support offered to local school families facing food insecurity. I am truly grateful to be part of the team to help ensure Ballantyne area families receive the food assistance they need throughout the year."

Thank you Jackie!

WHAT'S NEXT

June 2: Summer Break Support Distribution
June 4: Last pantry shop of the school year
June 10: Last day of school

REMINDERS & REQUESTS

🍎 We have several roles open on our volunteer team:

Russian Translator - Several times a year we need someone to help us translate updates to our Resource Guide into Russian. The expected time commitment is one to two hours per quarter. If you are able to help, please contact Julie White at encouragingnotes@ballantynefamilies.org

CPA - We need help with tax preparation and financial audits. Please contact Jill LeClair for more information at jillale513@gmail.com

School Champion Co-Lead - This role serves as the liaison between BFHNIN and the schools that we serve, sharing information and requests throughout the school year. The work is divided between two people. Contact Jackie Gyoerkoe at jgyoerkoe811@hotmail.com if you are interested.

Thanksgiving and Winter Holiday Giving Event Support - We are looking for someone to support our co-chairs with various tasks and errands as they come up during the campaign. This would require a commitment of one to two hours per week during the campaign. Contact Heather McAfee if you are interested in helping. heather@ballantynefamilies.org

Encouraging Notes Chair for Next Year - We are looking for someone to shadow our current chair this coming school year to learn the ropes for organizing our encouraging notes outreach for the 2027-2028 school year. Encouraging notes are created by volunteers, including students, and accompany all of our seasonal giving. Contact Julie White at encouragingnotes@ballantynefamilies.org if you are interested in learning more.

🍎Help keep our pantry stocked through our Amazon Wish List

DONATE

AMAZON WISHLIST

WORDS OF THANKS

"All your generosity has really helped in these hard times. I truly cannot thank everyone enough. Please know once I am able I will pay it forward.”

~ Ballantyne Family

“The food insecurity we have been through has been so much better since receiving your kind generosity”

~ Ballantyne Family

You are making a difference!

14023 Lissadell Circle
Charlotte, North Carolina 28277
USA

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