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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Shepherding with the Flavors of North Carolina

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By Sherri Robinson

Contributing Writer

After a successful event in 2018, the Good Shepherd Center returned to their favorite new venue, the Carolina Yacht Club, for the biggest yet Flavor of North Carolina event Saturday, Nov. 9, celebrating everything beautiful about life in the Old North State. The 6th Annual Flavor of North Carolina at Carolina Yacht Club was the signature fall fundraiser celebrating North Carolina, with a focus on food, drink, and experiences unique to our great state.

The Flavor of North Carolina event raises funds for Good Shepherd’s mission to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and foster transition to housing in the Cape Fear Region. Guests enjoyed local food and beverages, music and a silent auction with packages and experiences that feature all the best the Carolinas have to offer.

The Carolina Yacht Club venue offered views of the Intracoastal and the ocean under a nearly full moon with brisk but invigorating cool winds. The menu included Italian meatballs, assorted mini quiche, fried cheese ravioli, crab-stuffed mushrooms, and chicken satay appetizers from Elijah’s. Carolina Bay chefs offered a citrus greens salad, collard greens, local shrimp and grits, butterbean succotash, smoked Gouda mac & cheese, and salted caramel bread pudding. Jackson’s Big Oak Barbecue dished up barbecue sandwiches in a glass with Off The Hoof Barbecue heaping on slow-roasted pulled pork barbecue. Desserts featured cookies by Goodness Gracie, Coconut cake by Take the Cake Bakers, and ice cream courtesy of Lewis Farms. North Carolina Craft Beer and Fine Wines were courtesy of Coastal Beverage Company with sodas and water from Coca-Cola Bottling Company Consolidated. The signature cocktail was a Spiked Harvest Cider rendered by Carolina Bay.

Established in 1983 as a modest Soup Kitchen, Good Shepherd has grown to become the largest provider of homeless services in the region. Current programs include the soup kitchen, Second Helpings food salvage and distribution program; Sgt. Eugene Ashley Transitional Living Center for homeless veterans; a day shelter provides the homeless with access to showers, clothing, and on-site mental health and health services; and a night shelter with 118 beds for homeless men, women and families with children. Operating with just 19 full-time staff, Good Shepherd is heavily volunteer-driven, relying on the donated time of more than 500 individuals. Good Shepherd recently opened SECU Lakeside Reserve, an affordable housing unit with 16 apartments for chronically homeless adults with disabilities, including seniors and veterans. An additional 24 units will open this summer.

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