The Carolina Panthers, Delaware North, Inc. and Democratic National Convention teamed up with Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina to help some of Charlotte's neediest residents.
The change in venue for the final night of the Democratic National Convention followed days of intense food service preparation for the event, originally scheduled to be held at Bank of America Stadium. Standing by to meet the needs of the anticipated crowd were literally tons of fresh food that would have gone unused - including pecan fried chicken, fresh-made sandwiches, fresh-cut fruit and vegetables, and unique offerings like short rib cobbler.
At 6:00 a.m. Friday morning, Delaware North kitchen staff loaded 7,500 pounds of the food onto a US Foods truck, which quickly delivered the food to Second Harvest Food Bank. In a matter of hours, the food was being served at area agencies such as the Men's Shelter of Charlotte, Salvation Army's Center of Hope for Women, and Urban Ministry Center.
"The quantity and quality of the food has provided the resources to serve thousands of terrific meals to both the homeless and hungry," said Kay Carter, executive director of Second Harvest Food Bank.
"To see everyone work together so quickly to help others has been an amazing experience," said Riley Fields, the Carolina Panthers director of community relations. "It's gratifying to know that the time, energy and effort that went into preparing the food ultimately served those in our community who are most in need."
