Hickory –The Hickory Community Theatre presented the Hickory Soup Kitchen with a $2,600 donation last week, the proceeds from an online fundraiser conducted on behalf of the Soup Kitchen in May.

Rather than do fundraising for their own operations, the leadership of the HCT chose to rally theatre supporters to address the critical human needs of the community in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The fundraiser was part of the Giving Tuesday Now campaign set up by a nonprofit consulting firm called Firespring, to help nonprofits around the world to address the impact of the pandemic on their operations. Funds were released to recipients in July.

According to Austin Pearce, the Soup Kitchen’s Executive Director, the support couldn’t come at a better time. “With CARES Act support for individuals and families ending on July 31 the demand for our services is going to increase dramatically. This donation is enough to provide at least 1,400 meals.

PHOTO: (L-R) John Rambo, HCT Managing Director; Austin Pearce, Hickory Soup Kitchen Executive Director; Eric Seale, HCT Artistic Director. Photo by Christine Stinson.