Five years ago, one community came together for a common cause: Operation Sandwich. And it could’ve ended there. Five years is a long time to do anything. Children age, news breaks, families move. Our world now is unrecognizable to our world five years ago. Masks are no longer status quo, social distance markers on restaurant floors sit faded. But over the past five years, one thing has remained the same. The Freedom Park community’s tenacity in making the world a better place.
How the Community Showed Up
Five years ago, during Covid, the Lopez family saw a need. Stuck inside, they learned of folks experiencing homelessness in their community going hungry and decided to take part in Roof Above’s “Operation Sandwich” program, making sandwiches for people in Charlotte experiencing homelessness. They made 20 sandwiches as a family. Erika shared, “We felt great about our work until we got there and saw how many people were lined up outside the shelter waiting for the food distribution to begin, and our 20 sandwiches felt like a drop in the ocean of need. We were quiet driving out of the parking lot as we wondered what those 20 sandwiches were going to do for all these people?” Her son suggested, “What if we asked our neighbors to help?”
So for five years now, every Thursday, a text goes out asking neighbors in Freedom Park who wants to contribute sandwiches that week. Some folks pipe in to provide the sandwiches, while other families drive around to each of the houses that made sandwiches and pick them up right up off the front porch, bagged and ready to go to Roof Above on Sunday morning.
Seasons change, milestones are reached, but the neighbors in Freedom Park keep making sandwiches. Over the years, neighbors Julianne Guzik and Laura Kaplan have stepped up to help lead the efforts. Erika says, “We never envisioned at the beginning it was going to last this long, but there has just been such wonderful generosity from the families in this neighborhood.” Through their estimations, the group has donated over 15,000 sandwiches!
What’s Next
This Sunday, and the Sunday after that, that number will increase, all thanks to this community’s strength. Erika says, “It’s really just been such a wonderful way for our community to bond, to know that we’re giving back to our neighbors that are in need or experiencing homelessness. And we’ve just loved how easy Roof Above has made it for all of us to help in this small way to help feed our neighbors.” Thank you to the Freedom Park community for feeding your neighbors.
Operation Sandwich is small way to make a big change. If you can make sandwiches, feel free to sign up at roofabove.org.