Wednesday, March 23, 2016

3 more weeks!

Just 3 more weeks left in our FREE income tax service this year!

So far, we're pleased to report that our volunteers have prepared and e-filed taxes for 200 local residents gleaning a total of about $307,716 in refunds!  

We love being able to offer this service for FREE and have appointments available. It's not too late ... We're here to help through April 15.                          

Can we help you or someone you know? 
We're even happy to review paperwork (for FREE) if you're unsure if you need to file taxes or fit our annual household income requirement of $53,000 or less. To make an appointment, call 704-684-9007.

If you'd rather prepare and file them yourself, there's a free online service that can help. Visit: www.myfreetaxes.com. If your annual household income is under $62,000 you can use this free service!

Friday, March 18, 2016

Now open! Waxhaw pantry serves first families

The first night at our new walk-in food pantry at Union United Methodist Church in Waxhaw was awesome!!!

We had 12 volunteers ready to serve the nine families who came seeking food to feed their loved ones. We had a good mix of seniors and young families in need and they left with bags full of fresh produce, bread and sweets from the Cupboard as well as corn flakes, orange juice and canned green beans, corn, pork, pears, chicken and ham thanks to the USDA TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program). 


The pantry is a reality (after 6 years of dreaming) thanks to the generosity of Union UMC who welcomed us into their building and they're even providing some volunteers! 

Know someone in the Waxhaw area who needs food? The pantry will be open from 7-8 p.m. every Thursday at the church, 6315 New Town Rd. Guests are invited to begin arriving no earlier than 6:45 p.m. We use a raffle system to randomly select the order in which families select their free food.

For more details, visit CommonHeart.org or call 704-218-9060.

Friday, March 4, 2016

Food on the move!

Our Common Cupboard food pantries will be on the move this spring, bringing fresh produce, bread, meat and nonperishables to various locations in Union County. We're excited to be part of this distribution for the federal TEFAP program.    

Here's where you can catch us "on the go." 
All sites will open at 11 a.m.

-Wednesday, March 16: Friendship Baptist Church,  501 P E Bazemore Dr., Monroe

-Tuesday, April 12: Amazing Grace Lutheran Church, 416 W North Main St., Waxhaw

-Wednesday, April 27: Christ Bible Teaching Center, 1019 Unarco Rd., Marshville


 Please share with anyone you know who needs food! 



Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Happy tears at free tax service

It's been just over 4 weeks since our annual free income tax service opened and we're thrilled to report that our volunteers have prepared and e-filed taxes for 105 local residents so far gleaning a total of about $182,000 in refunds!  We estimate that so far, we've saved these friends a total of $26,000 in tax preparation fees!

One of our friends was brought to tears last week when we told her the refund she would be getting -- it was EXACTLY the amount of money she needed to pay off her debts!

We love being able to offer this service for FREE. Just last week, our volunteers helped a 75-year-old woman determine that she didn't need to file taxes because of her income. We were sad to learn that she paid a local tax preparation company $300 last year just for them to review her paperwork and tell her she didn't need to file.

Can we help you or someone you know? 
We're happy to review paperwork (for FREE) if you're unsure if you need to file taxes or fit our annual household income of $53,000 or less. To make an appointment, call 704-684-9007.

If you'd rather prepare and file them yourself, there's a free online service that can help. Visit: www.myfreetaxes.com. If your annual household income is under $62,000 you can use this free service!

Please spread the word ...