🧵 In Today’s Edition

1. The city dismantled a struggling food pantry in Glenwood over sanitary concerns. Residents and organizers say they wish they’d worked with them to solve them instead.
2. The Weekender
3. What We’re Reading

The old Glenwood United Methodist Building, now owned by the city. Until this week, it was the site of a food pantry the city said drew complaints about sanitation and food safety. (Sayaka Matsuoka for The Assembly)

‘It Takes a Village’ to Dismantle a Food Pantry

For the last two years, Angela Baldwin has been one of many in Greensboro who depend on a local food pantry to make ends meet. 

In her tight-knit Glenwood neighborhood, the pantry is run out of the carport of the old United Methodist Church on Glenwood Avenue. The city purchased the property back in 2023 and has worked with the neighborhood association and the grassroots group Food Not Bombs to provide food.

“I relied on it daily,” said Baldwin, who spoke to The Thread from her front porch. “Hundreds of people I know of rely on that pantry.”

Those people were shocked Tuesday when a crew of city employees arrived without warning or announcement to begin dismantling the pantry. Food and supplies were tossed, a refrigerator lifted away with a crane.

A video of the incident taken by a local Food Not Bombs volunteer caught fire on social media this week, leading to outrage well beyond Glenwood.

In a widely criticized response, the city posted on its Facebook page on Wednesday evening, explaining it “took action immediately removing the units and avoiding a major health risk” after they allegedly received complaints from neighbors about unsanitary conditions at the pantry drawing rats, roaches, and other vermin.

But those who rely on the pantry, as well as those who worked to provide the food, say the city should have worked with their struggling community to improve conditions. They say destroying rather than collaborating has damaged the hard-won trust between the city and this multi-racial, working-class neighborhood. Read the full story here.

— Sayaka Matsuoka and Joe Killian

Thanks for reading The Thread, a 3x week newsletter written by Greensboro editor Joe Killian and reporters Sayaka Matsuoka and Gale Melcher. Reach us with tips or ideas at greensboro@theassemblync.com.

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The Weekender

Give the dads or father figures in your life a call or a hug this Father’s Day weekend—or better yet, take them out. Festivals, dancing, comedy, music. We’ve got options for you.

FRIDAY, JUNE 13

Karaoke @ Chandler’s
7-10 p.m.

Grab your friends and belt out your favorite tunes over food, drinks, and fun.

Standup: E.J. Masicampo and Nick Ciaccia @ The Idiot Box Comedy Club
8-9:30 p.m.

Masicampo is a psychologist and winner of NC’s Funniest Person in 2022. Ciaccia tackles subjects like “family, relationships, darkness of society & pasta stereotypes,” according to Downtown Greensboro, Inc.’s event page. Tickets are still available for $8.

Family Night: Bridging Cultures Through Art @ the Creative Aging Network
5:30-8:30 p.m.

This collaboration between the Center for Visual Artists and Casa Azul of Greensboro will feature live Latin music by Oscar’s Latin band, artist exhibitions, and fun art activities for kids.

Ranford Almond x Frute @ Flat Iron
9 p.m.

Grab a drink and listen to Ranford Almond, a singer/songwriter and guitarist with Appalachian soul, paired with Frute, a six-piece psych rock collective out of Atlanta. Tickets are $14 right now, $17 at the door. Doors open at 8 p.m.

SATURDAY, JUNE 14

English Premier League Soccer @ The Abbey Taphouse
10 a.m.

Get your footy fix on Saturday morning over a round of drinks downtown.

Black Heritage Day @ Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum
11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Head out to Gibsonville to celebrate Black life, history, and culture with a day full of music, food, and art. Greensboro History Museum’s education and engagement staff will be on-site for activities.

Read this newsletter online or contact The Thread team with tips and feedback at greensboro@theassemblync.com.

Juneteenth Black Food Truck Festival @ Center City and LeBauer parks
5-11 p.m.

This event highlights and supports 100+ Black-owned businesses. Get ready for an evening of food, flavor, and celebration of Black excellence and joy. The park will be full of music from DJs to crowd karaoke, as well as open mic opportunities, line dancing, and performances by various artists. For more about the festival and the full schedule of events, hop over to Architect of Black Space.

Son Soneros Latin Dance @ High Point Bistro and Bar
9 p.m.-2 a.m.

Itching to hit the dance floor? Take a drive out of town for a kizomba lesson, food and drinks, and a night full of dancing and music featuring salsa, bachata, and merengue hits! $12 at the door, $5 with student ID.

Food and Live Music @ Oden Brewing Company

Starting at 12 p.m., enjoy Colombian food from Mo’ Empanadas, filled with slow-cooked shredded beef, chicken, and vegan lentil empanadas. At 5 p.m., The Chickpea food truck will roll up to serve Mediterranean grub; music by Bill West starts at 6 p.m.

SUNDAY, JUNE 15

Yoga @ Southend Brewing Company
10 a.m.

Stretch out your body and mind in preparation for the week ahead with outdoor flow yoga. Enjoy brunch from 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and $3 mimosas.

Father’s Day Market @ Red Oak Lager Haus & Biergarten in Whitsett
1 p.m.

Take the dads in your life to Whitsett, and enjoy cigars, local meat, barbeque, burgers, and live music from J Timber. Check out the event’s Facebook page for daily dad jokes.

Trivia @ Yokai
4-6 p.m.

Get the gang together for trivia at the Japanese izakaya bar and restaurant featuring their Sunday Funday menu, available from 3-8 p.m.

— Gale Melcher

What We’re Reading

Arriving On Time: City and county leaders joined Gov. Josh Stein Thursday to celebrate the announcement that aircraft maker JetZero will locate its new factory at Greensboro’s Piedmont Triad International Airport. The company estimates it will create nearly 15,000 jobs and put $4.7 billion in capital investment into the area. The News & Record has the story.

Sky’s The Limit: GTCC is already busy preparing students for careers in aviation manufacturing. Fox8 has the story.

Caution During Takeoff: Like HondaJet and Boom Supersonic, JetZero is an ambitious company with ambitious plans. But it hasn’t yet built a plane. It anticipates it will need somewhere in the neighborhood of $7 billion to $10 billion to actually get the 250-seat airliner it envisions to market. It’s looking to raise $2 billion to $3 billion dollars and get the rest through debt financing, including possible government funds. The Air Current has the story.

Joe Killian is The Assembly's Greensboro editor. He joined us from NC Newsline, where he was senior investigative reporter. He spent a decade at The News & Record covering cops and courts, higher education, and government.

Gale is a Report for America corps member and Greensboro-based reporter for The Assembly. She previously covered local government and community issues for Triad City Beat. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from N.C. State University.

Sayaka Matsuoka is a Greensboro-based reporter for The Assembly. She was formerly the managing editor for Triad City Beat, an alt-weekly based in Greensboro. She has reported for INDY Week, The Bitter Southerner, and Nerdist, and is the editorial/diversity chair for AAN Publishers.