Here's how you can help Charlotte food pantries overwhelmed amid the SNAP pause
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As a grocery deliver driver, you'll deliver a week's worth of groceries (around 21 meals) to individuals around Mecklenburg County who cannot access the pantry themselves. Photo: McKenzie Rankin/Axios
The ongoing federal SNAP pause has left local food pantries like Nourish Up scrambling to keep up with growing demand from residents seeking emergency food assistance.
Why it matters: These nonprofits rely on volunteers to get food into the hands of neighbors who need it most.
Catch up quick: Nourish Up, which provides groceries and meals across Mecklenburg County, already serves about 165,000 people annually.
- And with federal food aid on hold, the team tells Axios that visits to its pantries have surged "in the blink of an eye," and volunteers have become essential.
Driving the news: Tuesday, the Supreme Court extended Trump's freeze on SNAP payments during the record shutdown, Axios reported.
- Though the House may soon vote on a Senate-passed bill to reopen the government, it's unclear when SNAP distribution will resume
- Even when they do, nonprofits like Nourish Up say they're bracing for lasting strain.
What they're saying: "Our need for volunteers will never go away — our numbers will only increase," says Nourish Up's marketing and events director.
- "We're seeing the largest number of neighbors needing groceries than we've ever seen before.
By the numbers: About 140,000 Mecklenburg County residents who rely on SNAP have not received benefits for November..
- Three weeks ago, Nourish Up saw about 2,500 visits to pantries over a week. Now, Oates says that's at 3,500.
- Mecklenburg County is also rolling out $740,000 in emergency funds to help fill the gap.
How you can help
We visited Nourish Up's warehouse at 901 Carrier Drive to deliver groceries — one of the nonprofit's biggest volunteer needs — to neighbors who can't make it to the pantry themselves.
Here's how those programs work and other ways to get involved with Nourish Up.
Volunteer:
Deliver groceries: We made three stops around the county, a roughly 90-minute route, delivering a week's worth of groceries to homebound neighbors.
- Volunteers pick up at the warehouse between 10am–noon, Tuesday–Saturday, at 901 Carrier Dr. Expect three to six stops and 15–24 boxes total.
Deliver Meals on Wheels: Pick up and deliver packaged meals between 9:45–10:30am; routes take 60–90 minutes.
Help in the warehouse: There are over 12 ways to volunteer in the warehouse, including sorting food donations and packing orders that go to Nourish Up's 40+ pantries across Charlotte.
Donate:
Donate to a Nourish Up emergency food drive. They can be found around the city. Check here to see upcoming drives. Or, host your own.
Bring non-perishables to the warehouse. Hours are Monday – Friday from 8:30am-4pm.
Shop their Amazon Wish List. Items will be delivered directly to the warehouse.
Make a monetary donation to Nourish Up's emergency fund.
If you need food assistance
Nourish Up provides food regardless of income.
- To access a pantry, you'll need a referral, which can come from a doctor, school counselor or faith leader, Oates says.
- A referral grants 12 pantry visits per year. Walk-ins can also meet with an on-site social services team.
- Call 704-523-4333 or find a Nourish Up pantry here to get started.
Context: Nourish Up was created in 2021 from the merger of Loaves & Fishes and Friendship Trays, two longtime Charlotte nonprofits.
- The organization rebranded as Nourish Up in 2024 and moved into its current west Charlotte warehouse last spring.
What's next: The team says they're about a month away from completing the build-out of a commercial kitchen for an in-house Meals on Wheels program.
The bottom line: Food banks cannot meet the demand created by the SNAP pause alone, but volunteers can make a big difference.