A group of young dancers rehearse for a free Monday night concert that will include gospel artists Earnest Pugh, Le’Andria Johnson, Jessica Reedy, Wess Morgan and VMA-winning choreographer Laurieann Gibson. The event will benefit the Harvest Center. (Photo: Glenn Burkins for Qcitymetro.com)
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With demand spiking and donations shrinking, the Harvest Center of Charlotte is hosting a three-day telethon this week to help alleviate hunger and homelessness.

The west Charlotte charity is getting an assist from gospel artists Earnest Pugh, Le'Andria Johnson, Jessica Reedy, Wess Morgan and VMA-winning choreographer Laurieann Gibson, all of whom have traveled to Charlotte for a free concert Monday night.

Events began Sunday with a special church service at Community Outreach Christian Ministries.

In addition to the nationally known artists, more than 300 young people from the Charlotte area will take to the stage with song and dance.

Stephen Smith, executive director of the Harvest Center, said the telethon will become an annual event.

With an annual budget of about $400,000, the center will serve more than 112,000 hot meals this year. It also provides groceries, clothing, blankets, medical testing, recovery meetings, transportation, job skills and educational opportunities. Many of its clients are homeless.

Since the economic downturn began, Smith said, the center has seen demand for services rise while donations have fallen. He said the center hopes to raise at least $30,000 to avoid shortfalls.

Community Outreach Christian Ministries was started in 1982 by the late Pastor Barbara Brewton Cameron, who had a strong focus on serving the needs of the Genesis Park neighborhood. She officially formed the Harvest Center in September 2001. She died in December 2008 while visiting a daughter in Florida.

Smith, who spent much of his career in banking, said that after joining the Harvest Center he was shocked by the level of hunger in the United States.

The telethon, he said, was the brainchild of Catherine Brewton, a daughter of Barbara Brewton Cameron. Catherine Brewton grew up in Charlotte and is a vice president at BMI, which collects and distributes royalties for recording artists.

Catherine Brewton said that while the initial mission of the Harvest Center was to feed the homeless, the economic downturn has forced the center to adjust.

"We are not just feeding homeless people anymore," she said in a statement. "We are feeding people who are out of work, underemployed. The money we are raising is going to meet the needs of the people in this community who are coming from all over the world. We want to continue to do that."

Donations to the Harvest Center may be made by call 704-333-4280 or by going online at www.theharvestcenter.org. Contributions also may be made by mail or in person at 1800 Brewton Drive, Charlotte, 28206.

IF YOU WANT TO GO:
What: 1st Annual Thanksgiving Telethon
Date: Monday, Nov. 21
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: The Harvest Center, 1800 Brewton Drive

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