“There are few things sadder than a food bank practically hollowed out a week before Thanksgiving. But at the Camino Pantry, the shelves were just temporarily bare until the arrival of a shipment of turkeys and maybe a few other holiday miracles.
Though low on essentials, Camino had plenty of dignity on offer when I visited as part of the Aspen Institute Latinos and Society Program’s “Exploring the Changing South” tour.
An outgrowth of the Camino Community Center, the pantry is the biggest food bank serving Charlotte’s Hispanic community and welcomes all comers without requiring a referral from a human services department.
Once there, “shoppers” are given guides for how many grains, proteins and dairy items they can take at a time. They are allowed to walk up and down the aisles to select what they like, rather than being given a prewrapped basket of items.”
