Food for Kids …
Meet the Team
Bags of Hope seeks to bring hope to the Lake Norman and greater Charlotte area by supplying free weekend food provisions to school children who experience food insecurity.
Our Team
Program Director
Nicole Fiehler
&
Board President
Ashley Nydish
Board of Directors
Josh Billig
Matthew Dawson
Ashley Fazal,
Leadership Team
Jeffrey Holmes
Frank Logano,
Treasurer, Leadership Team
Lucia Modia
Ashley Nydish,
President, Leadership Team
Stacy O’Rorke,
Leadership Team
Adam Pennetti,
Vice-President, Leadership Team
Additional Members of the
Leadership Team
Terri DeWilde
Sherri Miller
Shannon Simmons
Our History
How It Began
In 2012, Davidson United Methodist Church began a backpack ministry, serving students at five nearby schools with weekend food bags. The following year, a group at Journey Church began a similar project and in 2017, both churches decided to partner and merge their programs together, allowing for greater reach and community engagement. They formed an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and in 2018 they incorporated a similar program from Mosaic Church, forming the mature organization of today, known as Bags of Hope.
Covid-19 Crisis
Showing Up for Our Community
The melding of efforts allowed for greater efficiency and reach, further accelerating program growth. Prior to Covid, Bags of Hope had served 375 students in 15 schools. By May of 2020, a couple months after the world shut down from the pandemic, we were serving 661 students at 22 schools.
33 Schools and Counting!
As schools learned about Bags of Hope’s program as a potential resource for their struggling students, our organization was quickly being relied upon to reduce the issue of food insecurity in our community – and to be a beacon of hope for families overwhelmed during the pandemic. Growth and momentum have continued since that time with up to 700+ students being served at 33 local schools in the Lake Norman and greater Charlotte area, each weekend of the school year.
Schools We Serve
Serving Mecklenburg, Iredell & Cabarrus counties
- Bailey Middle
- Barnette Elementary
- Blythe Elementary
- Bonnie Cone Classical Academy
- Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy
- Bradley Middle
- Carolina International School
- Community School of Davidson
- Cornelius Elementary
- Croft Community
- Davidson K-8
- First Ward Creative Arts Academy
- Grand Oak Elementary
- Hopewell High
- Huntersville Elementary
- J.M. Alexander Middle
- KIPP Academy
- KIPP Change
- Lakeside Charter
- Langtree Charter
- Niner University Elementary
- North Academy of World Languages
- North Meck High
- Pine Lake Prep
- TMSA
- TMSA Secondary
- Ranson Middle
- Reid Park Elementary
- Stoney Creek Elementary
- Torrence Creek Elementary
- Winding Springs Elementary
- William A. Hough High
