The News Herald Features Solo Faith Church's Food Mission
- Solo Faith Church Inc.
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Solo Faith Church's online food pantry and free DoorDash grocery delivery reached a new corner of North Carolina this month. On June 19, 2026, The News Herald — the daily newspaper serving Morganton and Burke County — published a feature on Pastor Doug Lattimore and the ministry he leads here in Cabarrus County, carrying our story to readers well beyond Concord.
From a Search for Chairs to a Food Ministry
The feature traces how the church's food work began almost by accident. After securing a building, Pastor Doug realized the new congregation did not have enough chairs. A fellow pastor connected him with a Hickory ministry willing to donate some — and before the truck was loaded, asked a question that changed the church's direction: “Do you need any food?” When Doug assumed the offer was for his own family, the pastor clarified: “Not for you. For your community.”
What followed was a season of learning. Flyers went unanswered and families were hesitant to come inside. Then Doug set food outside the building. “When I came back, it was all gone,” he told the paper. “I realized there was a real need in our community.”
Rethinking What a Food Pantry Can Be
That need led to what is believed to be the first online food pantry in North Carolina, and one of the first in the nation. Instead of asking families to travel to a fixed location during limited hours, neighbors request groceries through an online platform built to make help simple, private, and dignified. “It's about removing barriers,” Doug said. “If someone needs help, we want the process to be as simple and welcoming as possible.”
The church then added a DoorDash-powered delivery pilot for the neighbors who struggle most to get food home — senior citizens, military veterans, and residents with disabilities. Deliveries include groceries and hygiene items, something Doug notes sets the program apart: “The dashers will distribute hygiene items as well.” Behind the scenes, Solo Faith has built in AI systems to process requests and streamline deliveries, creating what Doug believes may be one of the first AI-automated food pantry systems of its kind.
Why a Newspaper Feature Matters
Coverage like this does more than tell a good story. The News Herald reaches readers across Burke County and the I-40 corridor — neighbors who may not yet know that free, dignified food help exists just down the road in Cabarrus County. Every time the story travels farther, it reaches another family who needs groceries, another volunteer ready to serve, and another business weighing whether to sponsor deliveries.
“There are only a handful of online food pantries like this in the country,” Doug said in the feature. “The fact that something like this can grow right here in Concord says a lot about this community.”
Read the Coverage and Find Help
You can read the full feature, published with free community access, at The News Herald. For more on how the program started, see our earlier write-up of the Greater Cabarrus Foundation spotlight. To request groceries or learn how delivery works, visit the Solo Faith online food bank. Solo Faith Church is located at 587 Old Charlotte Rd SW, Concord, NC 28027.
Solo Faith Church shares this coverage not to celebrate ourselves, but because every story told is another neighbor reached. When word travels that food help is here — simple, private, and free — fewer families in Cabarrus County go without.
Sponsor a Delivery — Help Us Reach More Neighbors
As our online food pantry and DoorDash delivery program grow, your gift helps expand service for seniors, veterans, and disabled residents facing food insecurity and transportation barriers. Every gift provides dignity, convenience, and hope. Learn more here.
Community Note: This article references reporting published by The News Herald (morganton.com) on June 19, 2026, a community feature carried with free access and sourced from the Greater Cabarrus Foundation. Direct quotations are the words of Pastor Doug Lattimore as published in that feature.
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