FRIENDSHIP TRAYS
Demographics show that our population is aging and becoming more dependent on others for its basic needs. One of those most basic needs is food. Many of us take it for granted that we get enough to eat each day. But a large number of people in our community do not. For these people, the availability of a nutritious meal is a blessing that they do not take lightly.
Friendship Trays responds to their need and provides a blessing in the form of delivering over 800 meals to recipients in the Charlotte area each day. The recipients of these meals are obviously grateful for these meals in a practical sense. But Friendship Trays also provides them with a sense of independence, a feeling of dignity, good health, and a smile from a friendly volunteer that cares, each day.
Friendship Trays is unique in that it does not receive any government funding but is supported solely by generous private donations and over a thousand volunteers.
Friendship Trays Volunteers Needed
Friendship Trays volunteers help prepare and deliver the food to the recipients. They need 85 volunteers every day to accomplish their mission and are always in need of new volunteers. They currently cover 80 routes and the average route has 10 people. It takes approximately 1 1/2 hours to complete a route.
There are many opportunities to volunteer, including preparing meal containers, to placing food in trays, sorting meals into route-appropriate bags/coolers, and driving and delivering meals to recipients. You can volunteer as often as once a week or as little as once a month. Some routes are designed for working people and are done easily in a lunch hour.
Sardis members deliver meals every Monday. Friendship Trays is currently located on Distribution Street near South End but are opening two satellite locations, one in Matthews. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Friendship Trays at 704-333-9229 or check out their website, at www.friendshiptrays.org.