Nov. 19, 2025
BYJOHN BAILEY
What does it mean to be hungry in Catawba County?
Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (held annually the week before Thanksgiving) is an annual outreach bringing people together across the country to draw attention to these issues.
Catawba County has dozens of nonprofits and public agencies that address these issues every day.
This week, Catawba County United Way will share conversations it had with three of these agencies - The Kindness Project, The Hickory Soup Kitchen and Partners Health Management.
These will be conversations the CCUW will carry into 2026, learning more about how all our local organizations provide the support and hope needed to help lift up those in crisis.
Along with its daily meals, the Hickory Soup Kitchen has a grocery program that provides families with a free box of food each month.
"If you come and you ask for groceries, you get groceries. There are no income requirements. We just want to give out food," Loehr said.
Contents may vary by season and what has been donated, but the agency tries to include fresh produce, fruit and meats along with easy-to-store items like bread, staples and canned goods. The pantry is open 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday and families are allowed to pick which items they’d like to have.
The program is currently feeding a minimum of 1,000 families each month, according to Hickory Soup Kitchen grocery manager Bill Loehr.
According to a recent Catawba County government press release concerning SNAP benefits, In Catawba County, 10,730 households—representing 22,149 individuals—currently receive $3.4 million in food assistance benefits each month.
From Oct. 19 to 26, there were 5 requests for food assistance to NC 211 from Catawba County. The following week that number increased to 29 as families began to face the threat of losing SNAP benefits.
For many of these families, resources like the grocery program at HSK is a major source of relief. The process is straightforward. Guests start by getting a grocery card, which is scanned each visit. They pick what they’d like from that day’s list of food. A volunteer then goes through the pantry to fill the order and brings it back to the pick-up window.
"It's hard for our guests sometimes, and I have folks who come who've never been here and they are often stressed and in tears and share that they never thought they'd have to resort to this,” Loehr said. “We try to prop them up and tell them, you are a worthy person. You’re in a hard time right now. We understand that. We’re here to help you."
Hobert Redmon has been using the resources at the Hickory Soup Kitchen for five years. In the beginning he was homeless.
“The soup kitchen is more than a place to get food. It's a place you can get information about resources to help you improve your life. You can get a shower, clothing, shoes,” Redmon said.
“If it wasn't here, it would be a shame because there would be a lot of starving people on the streets. I thank God every day that it is here.”
Through the help he found at the Hickory Soup Kitchen Hobert was able to turn his life back around, move into a home, find work that he enjoys and now pays it forward by volunteering at HSK.
“I thank God for a lot of stuff because he put me in a lot of people's way, placing me where he wants me to be and not on the streets, so yeah, this place means a lot to me,” Redmon said.
Learn more about the Hickory Soup Kitchen’s grocery program at - https://hickorysoupkitchen.org/our-services