Hope, Delivered: The Nourish Up Network that’s Feeding Charlotte

Nonprofit organization Nourish Up in Charlotte has one mission in mind: to not be needed anymore. Today, Nourish Up is the largest hunger-relief network in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region, combining access to groceries and prepared meal delivery, supported by a community that refuses to let its neighbors go hungry.

A New Name for a Long Legacy

In 2021, two longtime organizations, Loaves & Fishes and Friendship Trays, joined forces with one shared goal: to become the single answer to food insecurity in Charlotte.

For decades, each nonprofit had served the community in its own way: Loaves & Fishes focused on providing groceries, while Friendship Trays delivered meals. However, hunger doesn’t exist in silos, and the leaders of both organizations recognized families often need both – so they came together as one.

In 2024, they reintroduced themselves to the community under a new name: Nourish Up. The name came from hundreds of conversations with volunteers, partners, and families served by the organization. Again and again, one word surfaced: “Nourish.” While the team felt “Nourish” aligned with their identity, they still felt something was missing. Nourishing someone is an active behavior; nourishing someone requires service and showing up, and that’s exactly what this organization has done for more than half a century.

Today, Nourish Up operates 40 food pantries, a large-scale Meals on Wheels program, and a rapidly growing grocery home delivery network – all largely powered by volunteers who believe caring for their neighbors is simply the right thing to do.

Where Purpose Gets Personal

For Nourish Up CEO Tina Postel, this work is personal. She grew up watching her mother stretch every resource she had to keep food on the table for her family. Tina remembers standing in grocery store lines while her mother handed over her “literal food stamps,” before they were ever debit cards. She remembers being a “free lunch kid” at school.

Growing up, she didn’t feel the weight her mother carried trying to shield her from the reality of food insecurity, but looking back, she sees it clearly. Her childhood experiences fuel her fire to make sure other families don’t have to face the same uncertainty.

“It’s kind of a full-circle moment,” she says. “I get to make sure that moms like mine don’t have to worry what they’re going to feed their kids.”

A Shift in Perspective

When Tina first stepped into nonprofit work addressing hunger, she worried the job might be emotionally defeating, depressing and overwhelming. Her prior career stint at the YMCA was ‘lighter,’ because she was playing a role in helping people stay active, not playing a role in whether they go hungry.

She fondly remembers the moment that shifted her entire perspective. On her second day, a colleague took her to one of the organization’s earliest food pantries inside a local church and she asked Tina to sit and observe. Shortly after, a young man walked in with his head down.

He was visibly defeated, avoiding eye contact, and his body language made it clear he was embarrassed to be there. A volunteer greeted him warmly and handed him a shopping cart. As they moved through the pantry, the volunteer asked simple questions like how many kids he had, how old they were, what foods they liked, etc. During this interaction, Tina watched something inside the man change; the tension in his shoulders softened, his voice grew more confident, and he even started smiling.

Twenty minutes later, he walked out of the pantry with a cart full of groceries, and more importantly, his dignity. Before he got in his car, he hugged the volunteer who helped him. “That moment told me everything I needed to know,” Tina says. “This work isn’t depressing at all; it’s hopeful. When people walk in, they may feel ashamed … but they leave feeling seen, cared for, and supported.”
 

The Growing Reality of Hunger

The need for organizations like Nourish Up is greater than ever. Last year alone, the nonprofit served more than 170,000 people across Mecklenburg County – that’s enough to fill Bank of America Stadium twice over.

Just a few years ago, before the pandemic, the number was closer to 76,000 people annually.

They also deliver food to more than 25,000 households each year, ensuring families without transportation, seniors with mobility issues, and neighbors facing unexpected hardship can still receive the nourishment they need.

“We keep breaking records,” Tina says. “And quite frankly, I’m tired of breaking them.”

In more than 50 years, and despite the rising demand, Nourish Up has never turned anyone away because they ran out of food.

A Banker Who Believes in The Mission

Solving hunger isn’t something one organization can do alone. “It’s going to take the public sector, the private sector, and the nonprofit sector working together,” Tina says. “We produce enough food in the United States to feed everyone. The challenge is making sure people can access it.”

That’s where community partnerships become essential, and that’s where organizations like SouthState play a critical role.

For Darius Chase, Premier Private Banker, supporting Nourish Up aligns with his personal greater purpose. Like Tina, he knows what food insecurity feels like. Growing up, he also relied on free school meals. While summertime meant freedom for many kids, it brought uncertainty for him, because school meals were often the most reliable food source he had.

“When you’ve been on the receiving end of help,” he says, “you understand how meaningful it is and how much of a difference it truly makes.”

Darius first connected with Nourish Up through food drives and showing up to volunteer for community initiatives. In 2018, he joined the Board of Directors, where he’s helped guide the nonprofit through growth, expansion, and even the financing of its new facility. Today, he also volunteers alongside his children. “It’s one thing to tell your kids why something matters,” he says. “It’s another to show them.”

Banking That Builds Communities

The partnership between Nourish Up and SouthState started when Nourish Up sought financing for its new Hunger Hub. Several banks submitted proposals, but the conversations with SouthState went beyond interest rates and loan terms. Tina says the team took time to understand Nourish Up’s day-to-day reality: how hunger shows up in Charlotte, what growth required, and what it would take to build a facility designed for both scale and service.

“SouthState cares about the small guys,” Tina says. “They really care about the community.”

SouthState helped Nourish Up navigate complex financing, including resources like new market tax credits, to move the project forward. Today, Nourish Up’s operational hub is a 90,000 square-foot facility that houses food distribution, volunteer programs, a teaching kitchen, community events, and even operating space for other nonprofit organizations. And the partnership extends beyond the building: SouthState employees regularly volunteer by packing meals, delivering groceries, and supporting the families who rely on Nourish Up each year.

SouthState offers employees 32 hours of paid volunteer time each year, giving team members like Darius more opportunities to serve in the community.

A Community that Shows Up – No Matter What

Despite the challenges and growing demand, Tina is firmly rooted in her organization’s vision: a community that accepts no excuses for our neighbors going hungry. She is proud to see that vision come to life every day through volunteers giving their time, donors lending their resources, and partners offering their expertise.

“We just keep showing up,” she says. “No matter what happens, we just keep showing up.” Because at the end of the day, fighting hunger isn’t just about food. It’s about dignity, compassion, empathy and a community choosing to take care of each other.