This week’s Good News Friday roundup includes big “Giving Tuesday” gifts, rural improvements announced by Gov. Josh Stein, and a major honor for a Charlotte museum.
Last week, NC Secretary of State Elaine Marshall rang in Thanksgiving week with an announcement that North Carolinians as a whole had increased their charitable contributions by more than $21 million compared to the previous year.
That was certainly something to give thanks for, and all the more reason to head into this week’s “Giving Tuesday” with optimism. Of course, we don’t know how charitable North Carolinians as a whole were during this week’s annual day for giving, but there were some announcements from bigger organizations and agencies this week that will go a long way toward ringing in 2026 on a good note.
On this Good News Friday, we’ll learn who’s putting their money where their mouths are in government and business around the state. For previous editions of Good News Friday, click here.
Publix donates $160,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank partner agencies
Publix Super Markets Charities announced Monday that it will be awarding $160,000 to four partner agencies working with Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina to address hunger and food insecurity around the Carolinas.
The donation will assist partner agencies with increasing capacity by building out coolers and freezers, making more nutritious food accessible to the individuals being served by each agency.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina selected two partner agencies in North Carolina and two in South Carolina. On Thursday, a check was presented to HOPE of Rock Hill, a crisis assistance ministry located just over the state line, south of Charlotte. Those funds will pay for a new walk-in cooler and freezer for that organization.
On Dec. 22, organizers will present another check to the Hickory Soup Kitchen in Catawba County to help that organization pay for additional freezer space. After the holidays, two more presentations will be held; one at The Storehouse in Pickens, South Carolina, and another at an as-yet-undetermined location in North Carolina.
“Publix Super Markets … have always played a key role in our goal to end hunger,” stated Kay Carter, CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, in a release on Monday. “Whether it is through grant awards or onsite volunteering, Publix is a wonderful example of a corporation and foundation who understand the need for nutritious food for children who are living in poverty.”
Gov. Josh Stein announces 15 grants for rural infrastructure projects
Gov. Josh Stein on Thursday announced the approval of 15 grants totaling more than $5 million to go toward needed infrastructure additions and improvement projects in rural counties across the state. The funding is expected to create more than 700 jobs and attract more than $104 million in private-sector investment.
The grants were approved by the Rural Infrastructure Authority with support from the rural economic development team at the NC Department of Commerce. They will go toward funding projects involving infrastructure development, building renovation, building expansion, building demolition, and site improvements, according to a release from Gov. Josh Stein’s office on Thursday.
“Every investment we make in rural North Carolina enhances our state’s economic competitiveness and people’s lives,” Stein said in the release. “These local governments grantees are receiving critical funding for infrastructure improvements that spur job creation and help their communities compete for future economic development wins.”
The grants will support building projects in places like Asheboro, Ramseur, Zebulon, and more, Stein’s office said. You can find the full list of projects here.
Charlotte Museum of History named state’s seventh Smithsonian Affiliate
The Charlotte Museum of History announced this week that it has been designated a Smithsonian Affiliate, the second institution to be recognized as such in Charlotte and seventh in North Carolina.
The museum will now gain special access to the resources of the Smithsonian Institution including traveling exhibitions, artifact loans, research, and an array of educational materials.
Besides Charlotte Museum of History, the first six Smithsonian Affiliate institutions in North Carolina include the Sullenberger Aviation Museum in Charlotte; the Schiele Museum of Natural History in Gastonia; the Greensboro History Museum in Greensboro; the North Carolina Museum of History and North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, both in Raleigh; and the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science in Wilmington.
The Charlotte Museum of History’s 8-acre campus is home to the 1774 Alexander Rock House, the oldest surviving structure in Mecklenburg County and the only one still standing from the county’s Revolutionary period, as well as the recently restored Siloam School, a rare Rosenwald-era schoolhouse that is now used to tell the story of early African American education in the South.
