Early Thoughts: We normally tutor in person. How can we make this happen virtually? Our kids don't have WiFi or devices. How are we going to help supply their needs? What will programs look like during this pandemic? How do we help our families stay safe? Shutting down is not an option.

Caterpillar Ministries started assigning tutors to work with students on their homework/school work and supplemental materials over Zoom. We currently have 109 kids with a tutor. We paid bills to ensure the families had power, water, and a roof over their heads so the kids could attend school. We worked with all three schools (Torrence Creek Elementary, Francis Bradley Middle School, Hopewell High School) helping with communication, passing out devices, supporting technology (I used to be a technology associate at CMS), passing out Bags of Hope food bags, picking up books or supplies when families didn't have transportation, making home visits when needed, picking up CMS food boxes for families with no transportation, partnering with Read Charlotte to work on the students reading skills and to help make reading at home with their families an everyday occurrence. We tried to empower the parents to take an active role in their child's reading. We held Book Days where books from Read Charlotte were passed out to the children to ensure they had books at home. The Rotary Club of Lake Norman put in a book box for kids to stop by anytime to pick a book.

We are very grateful to the many tutors that volunteered, to Torrence Creek Elementary, Francis Bradley Middle School, Hopewell High School, Bags of Hope, Read Charlotte, Rotary Club of Lake Norman and all the people, partnering churches and organizations that helped make serving our families during a pandemic a success.

Caterpillar Ministries is a nonprofit, non-denominational Christian organization founded in 2007 and located in the Huntington Green Mobile Home Park in Huntersville. We partner with our neighbors to experience together the abundant life through Jesus Christ. We are being transformed from caterpillars to butterflies, and we are becoming new creations in Him.