Every 68 seconds, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted.
Monique Harris knows that reality all too well. Thirteen years ago, she became a victim of sexual assault at the hands of her own husband.
Continue ReadingThere’s nothing like Sunday dinner with a table full of veggies fresh from the garden.
Growing up in western North Carolina, I recall frequent visits to my grandparents’ farm in the mountains. In addition to grazing cattle, haylofts for us to play in and endless acres to romp through, across the road and down by the creek was the garden.
Tended by my grandmother, every summer it yielded baskets of tomatoes, squash, corn, beans, onions, beets, potatoes, and much more. All wound up on the summertime table or in canning jars to last through the winter.
Continue ReadingLove should not hurt. It should not bring fear, pain or sadness. But too often in Mecklenburg County—and other communities—love turns into sorrow. And someone is left broken and trying to survive.
Mecklenburg County is home to a powerful number of domestic violence survivors. Now they’re sharing their experiences in an engaging art display—a series of stories published on mobile banners available for organizations to display in Mecklenburg County.
Continue ReadingWalk into Mecklenburg County’s Veterans Services office and you might notice something in the lobby—a statuette of a heroic service member.
The sculpture depicts Scott Dayton, Senior Chief Petty Officer and Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) tech in the U.S. Navy. You may ask: why is it here?
It’s long, but heroic story. A story that winds from Virginia to Syria, to Mecklenburg County, and finally back to the U.S. Navy base in Norfolk, Va.
Continue ReadingDid you grow up in a world of rotary phones, rabbit ears, newspapers, and 45 records? Me too. While I’m not exactly a senior citizen—not quite yet—rapid changes in technology can make your head spin. Every day, there’s something new and everyone is living their lives by the new rules of the digital age.
Continue ReadingMeet three of Mecklenburg County’s newest truck drivers—David Connor, Terry Cummings and Henry Flagg. All are doing their part to serve our economy and help the supply chain run as smoothly as possible. Not long ago, each faced his own challenges before finding opportunity through the Department of Social Services’ Rise 2 Work program.
Continue ReadingBefore kindergarten there’s pre-kindergarten, which you probably know as pre-K. Kids who are four years old need help getting ready for school and life. And that’s where Pre-K comes in. In Mecklenburg County, MECK Pre-K is FREE! We’ll show you just a few of the ways it helps with their development.
Written by Betsy Abraham, Community Support Services
Domestic violence can happen to anyone. It doesn’t matter their age, race, sex or nationality—or the language they speak. Mecklenburg County attracts people from around the world. As a result, it’s important that those who don’t speak English know where they can get help in case of domestic violence. The Community Support Services Prevention & Intervention Division provides care to Spanish-speaking clients through culture with the Confianza program.
Continue ReadingWritten by Betsy Abraham, Community Support Services
Translated by Maria Zuluaga, Community Support Services
La violencia doméstica le puede ocurrir a cualquiera. No importa la edad, raza, sexo o nacionalidad o el idioma que hablen. El condado de Mecklenburg County atrae a personas de todo el mundo. Como resultado, es importante que esas personas que no hablan inglés sepan que pueden obtener ayuda en caso de violencia doméstica. El departamento de Servicios de Apoyo a la Comunidad – División de Prevención e Intervención- ofrece servicios a los clientes que hablan español a través del programa Confianza.
Continue ReadingYou need help getting affordable food on the table but you don’t know where to start. Food & Nutrition Services helps low-income families get the healthy food they need. That’s the program that used to be known as food stamps. It helps reduce hunger, boost nutrition, and decrease poverty. Food & Nutrition Services helps millions of people across the United States every day. But there are still many myths that make people who need help reluctant to ask for it. Here are eight of those myths and the truths that prove them wrong.
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