Huntersville commissioners hear funding pitches from local nonprofits; board approves procedural recusals

Huntersville commissioners heard presentations from more than a dozen local nonprofit organizations during a board meeting where agencies outlined requests for town funding to support food security, housing stability, youth services, historic preservation and public-safety tree work.

The presentations — from groups including Ada Jenkins Center, Angels & Sparrows Community Table, Arts & Science Council, Bags of Hope, Caterpillar Ministries/Huntington Green, Hope House Foundation, Pottstown Heritage Group, North Carolina Youth Orchestra, Beds for Kids, Hugh Torrance House and others — described growing demand and, for several organizations, a recent loss or pause of other funding streams that the groups said has strained operations.

Those who spoke said town support helps maintain direct services and local access. Harold, an Ada Jenkins Center representative, said the organization had to “pause the program due to lack of funding. In simple terms, we ran out of money.” Ada Jenkins described taking on HUD-funded programs after another nonprofit closed, noting a one-time HUD grant of about $262,000 and another nearly $700,000 grant the organization is currently floating while awaiting payment.

Several food programs described increased need. Cindy Deutsch, development director for Angels & Sparrows Community Table and Resource Center, told commissioners the nonprofit provides daily weekday food access in Huntersville and that its Pathway Program serves families with education and workforce supports. Cindy said federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds that supported the program have ended and that replacing that funding has been difficult.

Bags of Hope asked the town for $25,000 to sponsor weekend food bags for students; Nicole Feeler said, “That amount would cover 25 students. That thousand dollars will sponsor 1 student for the school year.” Bags of Hope said it distributed 26,251 bags last school year (about 221,000 meals) and was serving about 750 students weekly, including roughly 315 students in Huntersville.

Other requests described housing and homelessness work. Debbie O'Hanley of the Hope House Foundation requested continued support for transitional homes and new builds under the HopeWorks initiative; the group said it currently serves about 65 individuals and expects that support would allow it to reach about 75. Caterpillar Ministries, speaking for Huntington Green, described concentrated needs in that mobile-home community and asked the board to continue supporting neighborhood services and outreach.

The Pottstown Heritage Group outlined a new Rooted in Safety program to address hazardous trees threatening homes in older neighborhoods; Rachel Zwift, chair, said the group surveyed 14 homes and estimated average professional tree removal cost at about $3,167 per household, and described plans to seek partnerships with Tree Charlotte and the N.C. Forest Service and to use a sliding-cost model for residents.

Cultural and youth-serving organizations described program impacts and requests. April Dunn, director of finance for the North Carolina Youth Orchestra, said Huntersville is its largest demographic and described a protege program that provides free instruction to beginning school orchestra and band students; the orchestra reported a local economic impact and requested continued support for scholarships. The Arts & Science Council (ASC) said it invests in public art, free Culture Block events and school partnerships and reported about $85,000 in spend in Huntersville programs the prior fiscal year.

Several presenters supplied program metrics and operating details when asked by commissioners: Ada Jenkins said it now operates nine Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites and noted challenges with delayed HUD payments; Angels & Sparrows reported serving about 80 families in its Pathway Program with a waitlist of about 60 families; Beds for Kids said it served 1,406 families in Charlotte in 2024 and 149 Huntersville residents the same year.

The board did not take votes on the funding requests during the presentation period. The meeting did include procedural votes: commissioners approved motions to recuse Commissioner Rivers from the Pottstown Heritage Group discussion and later voted to bring Rivers back to the meeting; they also approved a recusal for Commissioner Burksman from the Hugh Torrance House discussion and later restored her participation.

Presenters left the board with written budget requests and program details; commissioners asked follow-up questions and in several cases requested supporting documents (for example, Arts & Science Council was asked to email budget-line clarifications). The board gave no immediate funding decisions during the presentations; next steps for each request were not decided on the record at the meeting.

A summary of notable requests and figures from the presentations:

- Ada Jenkins Center: cited acquisition of Community Link asset-building program after that nonprofit closed; said it now operates nine VITA sites and received a HUD-related grant of roughly $262,000 and a separate nearly $700,000 grant that required cash flow to float. The center reported that last year 56% of the Huntersville residents it served received nearly $165,000 in direct financial assistance.

- Angels & Sparrows Community Table: highlighted 17 years of service, more than 1,600,000 meals served historically, a pathway program serving approximately 80 families (150 individuals) and a waitlist of about 60 families; said ARPA funding ended April 30 and has not been replaced.

- Bags of Hope: distributed 26,251 weekend food bags last school year (~221,000 meals); currently serves about 750 students weekly and requested $25,000 to fund 25 students for a school year (stating $1,000 per student, adjusted from $750 last year due to food-cost increases).

- Caterpillar Ministries / Huntington Green: described concentrated needs in Huntington Green (an older mobile-home community), cited 125 families facing food insecurity this summer, and requested funding for community programs including ESL, mental health referrals and neighborhood supports.

- Hope House Foundation: requested support to open two new constructed homes, maintain properties including a 4,000-square-foot community living home, and build three additional homes; said screening calls are up more than 40% year over year.

- Pottstown Heritage Group: requested support for Rooted in Safety (hazardous-tree mitigation), estimated per-household removal costs from a sample of homes, and proposed partnerships with Tree Charlotte and the N.C. Forest Service.

- North Carolina Youth Orchestra: described a protege program for area schools, reported Huntersville accounted for roughly 30–31% of its students this season, and outlined scholarship needs (approximately $31,500 for Huntersville scholarships cited for the current season).

- Beds for Kids: said it would serve an estimated 165 Huntersville families in 2026 without additional town funding and described a larger countywide caseload (1,406 families served in 2024).

- Hugh Torrance House: reported an increase in visitors (2,823 people in 2024), ongoing historical research and free community programming; asked for continued town support for preservation and programming.

Votes at a glance:

- Motion to recuse Commissioner Rivers from Pottstown Heritage Group discussion: approved (mover not specified; seconded; vote by raised hands; exact tally not specified). Note: Commissioner Rivers was recused and later restored.

- Motion to restore Commissioner Rivers to the meeting: moved by Commissioner Walsh and approved (seconded; vote by raised hands; exact tally not specified).

- Motion to recuse Commissioner Burksman from Hugh Torrance House discussion: approved (mover and second not specified; vote by raised hands; exact tally not specified).

- Motion to restore Commissioner Burksman: approved (mover and second not specified; vote by raised hands; exact tally not specified).

No formal votes on funding allocations for the presenting organizations were recorded in the presentation portion of the meeting.