Happy Holidays!   We hope that your family is having a great holiday season!  
 
The December holiday food/gift card distribution went smoothly last Friday. Because of YOU, 90 identified families will have a brighter holiday season!  We continue to be grateful for your involvement with Ballantyne Families. 
 
What families received for December holidays:

• 2 encouraging notes from the community
• 2 bags of food to make 2 holiday meals
• Holiday napkins
• A note from Ballantyne Families
• $50 grocery gift cards to Elementary/Middle School families/$150 to high school families.

Here are some of the letters that we have received from our families from the Thanksgiving support:  

• “I would like to send a heartfelt thank you to the Ballantyne Families that took the time to give back to my family and I, in order to make sure our holiday is special. Sending hugs and love from my family to yours.”
  
  
• “Ballantyne Families: Thank you all so very much for the gift card for our family.  You are kind and generous!  Happy Thanksgiving!”
  
  
• "Thank you Ballantyne family for the Harris Teeter Gift Card. We are truly grateful as we definitely needed food for the Holidays! I lost my job and my home. GOD bless you all."
  

We have several exciting updates for you!  Please go to the end of this email for more details on the items listed below.  
 
Action items:

• Nothing But Noodles charity spotlight (buy your gift cards this week to support BFHNIN)
• Make a Difference Meeting – Mon., Jan 4^th from 9:30-11am – email: heathermcafee@mac.com if you want to attend.

Updates/thanks:

• Food Pantry Spotlight
• A huge thanks to the following supporters:
  • Ardrey Neighborhood’s Jingle Jog
    
  • South Mecklenburg Presbyterian Church’s Alternative Gift Market
    
  • Brighthouse Financial
    
  • Coldwell Banker - Toringdon
    
  • Community House Middle School’s Band and Orchestra Boosters
    
  • Second Annual Make Change Makers event at Providence Country Club
    
  • JM Robinson PTO
    
• Ballantyne Families in the media:
  • See us on the front page and article in the December issue of Neighbors of South Charlotte!

During this holiday season, we are so thankful for your support in helping families in need. Thank you for lifting them and showing them that they are seen and loved. You are making a huge difference!
 
Have a wonderful weekend!
Heather
 
- Ballantyne Families Helping Neighbors In Need

ACTION ITEM: Nothing But Noodles – Gift Cards for A Cause
During the month of December, Nothing But Noodles features a charity once a week.   This is our week: December 8-14!!  Buy a $25 gift card at Nothing But Noodles during this time frame and they will donate $5 to Ballantyne Families helping Neighbors in Need. Thank you in advance for your help, and thank you Nothing But Noodles!  

ACTION ITEM: Make a Difference Meeting – Monday, January 9^th from 9:30-11am in the media center at Community House Middle School
As Ballantyne Families Helping Neighbors in Need is growing, we are excited to get more people involved in helping our neighbors! At this Make a Difference meeting, we will talk about different opportunities in which to get more involved. Please send a message to heathermcafee@mac.com if you can attend and/or want to be more involved. Thank you!!

Food Pantry Spotlight
Since the beginning of this school year, 82 pantry requests have been filled!   Because of repeat requests from the same families, 62 unique families have been served.   This number has increased significantly since last year; from February – June 2022, we filled about 25 total requests.   We’ve spread the word about the pantry through online communications and pantry signs in front of every school, but there is also a growing need.   The pantry runs seamlessly because of our two amazing pantry managers: Audi Naftzger and Erin Furey.  They have spent countless hours managing pantry requests, keeping the pantry stocked/organized, working with pantry volunteers, and coordinating with school counselors.   Their enthusiasm, dedication, and attention to detail is to be celebrated!  Thank you, Erin and Audi, for making a difference every week with our families!

Ardrey Neighborhood’s Jingle Jog
Under the leadership of Jeff Jones, the Ardrey Neighborhood held their annual Jingle Jog on Thanksgiving day. With around 110 participants, they raised over $2400 and over 30 bags of food for Ballantyne Families Helping Neighbors In Need!! 
 
South Mecklenburg Presbyterian Church (SMPC) Alternative Gift Market
Huge thank you to SMPC for including us in your Alternative Gift Market on Sunday, December 4. Thank you to Susan Medina and Lauren Rosenbaum representing Ballantyne Families Helping Neighbors in Need!
 
Brighthouse Financial
A HUGE continued thank you to Brighthouse Financial. They supported our holiday food drive efforts in every way - writing encouraging notes, donating food, and donating gift cards!
 
Coldwell Banker - Toringdon
Thank you for spotlighting us as your 4^th quarter charity and thanks for your support. A special thanks to Penka Antista for recommending us!
 
Community House Middle School Orchestra and Band (Bravo Boosters)
Thank you for collecting food for Ballantyne Families’ food pantry at your holiday concerts!   A special thanks to Robin McLaurin for leading the effort!
 
Second Annual Make Change Makers event at Providence Country Club
A big shout out to Erin Cline Furey and Megan Furey who represented Ballantyne Families Helping Neighbors In Need at the Second Annual Make Change Makers Market event at Providence Country Club. They collected donations and helped educate people about our organization and our pantry. Awesome job and many thanks!
 
JM Robinson Middle School PTO
Thank you for making a generous donation to give food support for our families in need over the holidays!  

Thanks to Our Amazing Volunteers
Thank you, volunteers, for picking up the December holiday bags of food from our pantry at Community House Middle to distribute to our schools! This could not be done without you!

• Brooke Schonfeld
• Susan Medina
• Mini Kartha
• Tammy Ledford
• Tammy Menzel
• Audi Naftzger
• Melissa Graham
• Tori Collins
• Lauren Rosenbaum
• Liz Emmett
• Valerie Johnson
• Erin Furey
• Sheila Mathews
• Sally Pickard

Thank you to those who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make everything happen:

• Email/website creation – Geoff Parish
• Social Media – Sally Pickard
• Corporate Donations/Grants – Lauren Rosenbaum, Ashley Parish, Susan Medina
• Database organizer – Dana White
• Treasurer/Corporate Matching – Tori Collins
• Helper Extraordinaire – Lauren Rosenbaum
• BFHNIN Board – Liz Emmett, Janelle Clemons, Valerie Johnson, Tori Collins, Lauren Rosenbaum
  

BFHNIN in the Media - Neighbors Of South Charlotte, December Issue
We were excited to be featured in the magazine with a picture on the front cover. Thanks to Neighbors of South Charlotte for helping us spread the word! To see the cover and read the article, click here.