Volunteer Opportunities at Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region

Help brighten the holidays for a patient and their loved ones by sharing a prepared meal, groceries, gift items, gift card(s) or a festive celebration. Share your time to welcome visitors at our Main Office at 1420 East Seventh Street.  This could be a few hours a day, or once a week until this position is filled on a full time basis. Please call Jessica Bruner, Volunteer Services Administrative Assistant at 704-335-3578 for more information. [Back to Top]

Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) and Utilities Commission Moratorium

Department of Social Services Hotline number for LIEAP is 704-353-1336. LIEAP gives families a one-time cash payment to help pay their heating bills. Who is Eligible?  1.  Household must meet an income test. 2.  Household must be responsible for its heating bills. 3.  Household cannot have resources over $2,200. 4.  The household must include a U.S. Citizen or an eligible alien.  Where to Apply.  Must apply in the County where you reside. For Mecklenburg County apply at the Department of Social Services at the following three locations and times: 1.  Chapin Hall 3025 Freedom Drive, Suite 100 November 3rd through November 14th Monday - Friday from 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. and Saturday, November 15th from 9:00 a.m. - Noon 2.  Farm Pond Office 5855 Executive Center Drive Wednesday, November 5th from 7:30 a.m. through 3:30 p.m. 3.  Bethlehem Center Southside Home Location  2705 Baltimore Avenue Thursday, November 6th from 7:30 a.m .- 3:30 p.m. The elderly or disabled that do not have a representative to apply for them may call for a telephone interview on or after October 1st.  Leave your name and telephone number and reason for the interview. Utilities Commission Moratorium If a household is served by a regulated electric or natural gas company, service cannot be discontinued until the customer receives a written notice.  The household must be allowed to make installment payments over six months for past and current bills.  In addition, service cannot be stopped form November through March for a household who: 1.  Cannot pay its utility bill; and 2.  Has a member who is elderly (65 years of age or older) or disabled; and 3.  Has been certified as eligible for the Low Income Energy Assistance Program. For more help with the Utilities Commission Moratorium call Just1Call at 704-432-1111. [Back to Top]

Weatherization Program - Free

Gaston County Community Action has the state contract for Mecklenburg and Union counties 1801 N. Tryon Street, Suite 334 Charlotte, NC   28206 Telephone:  704-940-1752 Gaston Number:  704-866-8721 Free: Evaluation, clean & tune of major air & heat source (central air unit, furnace & heat pump) - Weatherization to your home - Insulation in your attic, walls & crawlspace - Smoke/Co alarm - Furnace filters - Aerorators (2) for kitchen & bathroom faucet - Low-flow showerhead Call 704-940-1752 for more information. http://www.eere.energy.gov/weatherization/ [Back to Top]

Legal Services for the Elderly, Inc. (LSE) Current Projects Providing Free Legal Advice or Representation

Three Major Projects 1)  Justice for Inner City Seniors For this project LSE staff and attorneys visit older persons in the inner city regularly to perform client intake and to provide needed services. It is funded through United Way of Central Carolinas. 2)  Seniors Equipped with Essential Knowledge (SEEK) SEEK is a project funded by the Mecklenburg County Bar Foundation and provides for four educational sessions to seniors needing basic legal information and enhanced access to the legal system. 3)  Wills on Wheels A project that is currently in its third year of operation. This is a joint project between Legal Services of the Elderly, Inc. Legal Aid of North Carolina, Legal Services of the Southern Piedmont and the Kilpatrick Stockton law firm. Semiannual sessions are held during which as many as twenty people at a time come in to have wills and other advanced directives prepared. Pre-registration is required.  Please call 704-334-0400 to learn how you might benefit from these projects. [Back to Top]

Chronic Illness Support Group - Free

Meet 3rd Saturday of each month 11:00 a.m. Friendship Missionary Baptist Church 3400 Beatties Ford Road Charlotte, NC Share your journey with others who know what it's like to deal with chronic illness.  Share your story.  Find support, compassionate friends and a new way of being. For more information contact Parish Nurse at 704-392-0392. [Back to Top]

Grief Care Support Groups

The following groups are offered by Hospice and Palliative Care Charlotte Region for those grieving the death of a loved one. Call the Grief Care Center for Charlotte locations at 704-375-0100. Grief Support Groups Providence Presbyterian Church 10140 Providence Church Road Charlotte 1st and 3rd Monday of each month 10:30 a.m. - Noon Hospice at Charlotte Uptown Support Group Armory Drive Building (Behind 1420 E. Seventh Street) 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month Noon - 1:30 p.m. Little Avenue Support Group 7845 Little Avenue Charlotte 1st Tuesday of each month 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Men's Support Group 7845 Little Avenue Charlotte 1st Monday of each month 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. South Support Group The Well of Hope Church 220 Main Street Pineville, NC 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. South Charlotte Evening Support Group HPCCR South Charlotte Office 7845 Little Avenue 1st Wednesday of each month 7:00 p.m. Let's Do Lunch The Olive Garden 9421 Pineville-Matthews Road 4th Wednesday of each month  11:30 a.m. Individual counseling is available upon request. [Back to Top]

Glaucoma EyeCare Program - Free

During the National Glaucoma Awareness month, EyeCare America encourages those people without insurance to take advantage of their program, which promotes early detection and treatment of glaucoma. For people who: Are a U.S. citizens or legal residents Have not had an eye exam in 12 months or more Are at increased risk for glaucoma (family history, race, age) Persons eligible for a referral to one of EyeCare's 7,500 volunteer ophthalmologists will receive a glaucoma eye exam and the initiation of treatment, if deemed necessary. Uninsured patients will receive the above care at no charge. Call the help line at 1-800-391-3937 any time to request free eye care information. [Back to Top]

VISION USA (Volunteer In Service In Our Nation)

VISION USA, started nationwide in 1991, is a program developed by doctors of optometry who are members of the American Optometric Association to provide free eye exams to low income working Americans.  VISION USA is now open year-round. Eligibility: Have a job or live in a household where there is one working member; Have no vision insurance; Have income below an established level based on household size; and Not have had an eye exam within two years. How To Get Care: Call at 1-800-766-4466, 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m., CST, Monday through Friday. Or write to: VISION USA, 243 North Lindbergh Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63141; or If you have questions, you may contact the coordinator for the State of North Carolina:   Sue Gardner North Carolina State Optometric Society Box 1206 Wilson, NC   27894 252-237-6197 [Back to Top]