Fall 2026Q U A R T E R L Y F E A T U R E TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES TOGETHERBehind every stronger community are people willing to work together. This issue highlights that spirit through Shepherdʼs Table and Jireh Food Ministryʼs shared vision for a new community food mart in Shelby. Their plans extend beyond groceries to include healthy eating education, childrenʼs activities, and literacy resourcesRead on to discover how these partners are combining their strengths to connect families with food, learning, and community—and explore more stories of collaboration in action.Impact in Action Quarter 3 Foundation Newsletter

IMPACT IN ACTIONFALL 2026 / IN THIS ISSUECATAWBA NATION FOUNDATION 02 Transforming Communities Together Behind every stronger community are people willing to work together. Explore the partnerships, perspectives, and opportunities shaping this season. 03–04 The Summer I Turned Amazed Executive Directorʼs Report 05 Every Child Matters Orange Shirt Day 06–07 More Than Groceries Shepherdʼs Table & Jireh Food Ministry 08 Stronger Together CCPN Elevate 09 Supporting Communities Partnership & Volunteering C O N T E N T

IMPACT IN ACTION FALL 2026 / EXECUTIVE DIRECTORʼS REPORT CATAWBA NATION FOUNDATION 03The Summer I Turned AmazedL E A D E R S H I P P E R S P E C T I V E One of the greatest privileges of serving as Executive Director of the Catawba Nation Foundation is the opportunity to spend time in the communities we serve—not simply reading about the work taking place, but seeing it, hearing the stories behind it, and getting to know the people who make it possible. My role gives me the extraordinary opportunity to learn from many different communities. I have the honor of spending time with members of the Catawba Nation, learning more about Catawba culture and about my own ancestors who were Catawba. I continue to deepen my understanding of the broader North Carolina Tribal community. And I have been warmly welcomed into Cleveland County, a community where I now have the privilege not only to work, but also to call home. This summer, that privilege took me on the road. I visited nearly 40 of our grant partners, traveling across the communities we serve and sitting down with nonprofit leaders, staff members, volunteers, educators, advocates, and neighbors. I walked through food pantries and community gardens.E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R S R E P O R T

IMPACT IN ACTION FALL 2026 / EXECUTIVE DIRECTORʼS REPORT CATAWBA NATION FOUNDATION 04 Kristine Locklear Urrutia E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R I saw programs creating opportunities for young people and organizations helping families find stability. I learned about efforts to preserve history and culture, protect rivers, wildlife and natural spaces, strengthen neighborhoods, support older adults, and make sure people have access to the resources they need. And after nearly every visit, I walked away thinking the same thing: I am amazed. I am amazed by the people who show up day after day to do this work. I am amazed by their ingenuity and resourcefulness. And I am especially amazed by how much organizations can accomplish when they may not always have enormous staffs, budgets, or visibility, but have an extraordinary commitment to the people and places they serve. Some of our partners create change quietly and incrementally—one student, one family, one meal, one home, or one tree at a time. Others are responding rapidly to urgent and growing needs. Some are preserving stories and traditions that deserve to be carried forward. Others are building something entirely new. Together, they are strengthening communities throughout our region in ways both visible and unseen. What struck me most this summer was their willingness to collaborate. Again and again, I heard some version of: How can we work together? How can we share resources? Who else should be at the table? Nearly 40 grant partner visits. Countless stories of dedication. One lasting feeling: AMAZEMENT. That spirit is beautifully reflected in the story you will read in this newsletter about Shepherdʼs Table and Jireh Food Ministry collaborating to create a Community Food Mart. It is a wonderful example of something I witnessed throughout my travels: organizations understanding that community needs are bigger than any one institution and that our greatest impact often comes when we work together. As summer gives way to fall, the days grow shorter, students return to school, and the holidays begin to approach. For many of our grant partners, the pace of their work will only increase. Families will need food. Children will need safe places to learn and grow. Seniors will need support. Communities will need connection. Our lands, waterways, history and culture will continue to need people willing to care for and protect them. And our partners will keep showing up. At the Catawba Nation Foundation, we often talk about funding, grants and impact. This summer reminded me that behind every one of those words are people. People who care deeply about their communities. People who see a need and decide to act. People who keep showing up. I am incredibly thankful that our journeys are tied together. To each of our grant partners: thank you for welcoming me into your organizations, for sharing your stories so openly, and most importantly, for the work you do every day. You made this a summer I will not soon forget. E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R S R E P O R T( C O N T I N U T E D )

IMPACT IN ACTION FALL 2026 / ORANGE SHIRT DAY CATAWBA NATION FOUNDATION 05 S E P T E M B E R 3 0 / O R A N G E S H I R T D A Y Every Child Matters. 🧡 Honoring the children. Listening to their stories.On the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also recognized as Orange Shirt Day, we remember the Indigenous children who were taken from their families and communities and sent to boarding schools designed to separate them from their cultures, languages and identities. For the Catawba people, that history includes Wade Ayers. Wade was a 13-year-old Catawba boy when he was sent to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania in 1903. Just months later, on January 18, 1904, Wade died. His family was not notified of his illness or given the opportunity to bring him home. He was buried in the school cemetery, and more than a century later, his final resting place remains unknown. Wade was not alone. At least 12 Catawba children are known to have attended Carlisle between 1893 and 1916. Today, a monument at the Catawba Cultural Center honors Wade and the other young people who were taken to boarding schools and forced to abandon their culture and heritage. For Tolani Franks, Catawba citizen and Program Officer for the Catawba Nation Foundation, this history is also part of her own family story. “As a Catawba citizen, Orange Shirt Day reminds me that the history of boarding schools is not distant. My great-great-grandparents met while attending the Carlisle Indian boarding school, making this part of my family's story as well. Today, I remember the children who never came home, honor the survivors and their families, and celebrate the resilience of Native peoples who continue to carry our cultures and traditions forward.ˮ — Tolani Franks On Orange Shirt Day, we honor Wade and the children who never came home. We honor the survivors, their families and generations forever changed by the boarding school experience. And we honor the resilience of Native peoples who continue to preserve their cultures, traditions and stories—and ensure this history is never forgotten. 🧡 Every Child Matters.

IMPACT IN ACTION FALL 2026 / FEATURED STORY CATAWBA NATION FOUNDATION 06 A new collaborative effort is taking shape in Cleveland County, bringing together local churches, community organizations and resources around a shared goal: helping individuals and families facing food insecurity. Shepherdʼs Table, the food ministry of Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, and Jireh Food Ministry, the food ministry of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, are joining together to create a new community food mart ministry serving Cleveland County. The community food mart will be located at Mt. Calvaryʼs Community Life Center, 1205 Northside Drive in Shelby. Established in 2021 on the former North Shelby School campus, the Community Life Center was created with a larger vision of bringing people, organizations and resources together to serve the community. Recently, the Catawba Nation Foundation toured the future site with Dr. M. Lamont Littlejohn Jr., Servant Pastor/Teacher of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church; Paula Alexander, Executive Pastor of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church; and the Rev. Anita Ware of Episcopal Church of the Redeemerʼs Shepherdʼs Table.F E A T U R E D S T O R YMore Than GroceriesF O O D A C C E S S / C O M M U N I T Y C O L L A B O R A T I O N Shepherdʼs Table & Jireh Food Ministry Collaborate to Create Community Food Mart

IMPACT IN ACTION FALL 2026 / FEATURED STORY CATAWBA NATION FOUNDATION 07One welcoming place.Many ways to thrive. “How do we come together as community, true community for community?ˮ asked Dr. M. Lamont Littlejohn Jr., Servant Pastor/Teacher of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, while sharing the vision for the campus. That question is also at the heart of the new community food mart. The vision extends beyond groceries to include opportunities for healthy eating education, childrenʼs activities and literacy resources. A market garden and greenhouse can also introduce children to growing their own food and learning about healthy choices. For the Catawba Nation Foundation, the project demonstrates the potential of grantmaking to do more than support individual programs. It can create opportunities for community partners to connect, collaborate and multiply their impact. “This is exactly the kind of collaboration we hope to help foster through our grantmaking,ˮ said Kristine Locklear Urrutia, Executive Director of the Catawba Nation Foundation. “When organizations come together around a shared need, they can build on one anotherʼs strengths, connect more people to resources and create an impact that reaches far beyond what any one organization could accomplish alone.ˮF E A T U R E D S T O R Y The collaboration between Shepherdʼs Table and Jireh Food Ministry is an example of what can happen when organizations with a shared purpose find new ways to work together. By combining resources, relationships and experience, the community food mart can help create greater access to food while also connecting individuals and families with additional support. The project recognizes that the needs facing families are often connected. Access to food, health resources, education and opportunities for children can all play a role in strengthening families and communities. The Catawba Nation Foundation is proud to support partnerships that strengthen Cleveland Countyʼs network of nonprofits, churches and community organizations and create opportunities for greater collective impact. As the Shepherdʼs Table and Jireh Food Ministry community food mart prepares to open its doors, it represents more than a new place to get groceries. It represents a shared vision for a place where food, education, health and community can come together, and where organizations working together can help build a stronger Cleveland County.( C O N T I N U T E D )

IMPACT IN ACTION FALL 2026 / COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT CATAWBA NATION FOUNDATION 08 Stronger together Strong nonprofits help build strong communities. On September 1, the Cleveland County Philanthropic Network (CCPN) brought nonprofit leaders together at the Don Gibson Theatre in Shelby for Elevate Together: Momentum Through Collaboration, a morning of networking and workshops focused on capacity building and succession planning. Omar Porter, Director of Community Engagement at Cleveland Community College, served as master of ceremonies. In “Elevate Your Impact: Strengthening Capacity to Advance Your Mission,ˮ Zack King shared practical strategies for assessing organizational strengths, identifying gaps, and developing a capacity-building plan. He emphasized authentic relationships and shared goals that help nonprofits connect resources and expertise to community needs. Nonprofits ELEVATE Their Impact TogetherC O M M U N I T Y S P O T L I G H T Janeen Gingrich led “Elevate Whatʼs Next: Succession Planning Before You Need It,ˮ drawing on more than 25 years of nonprofit experience. Participants explored emergency and planned leadership transitions, succession across board and staff roles, and challenges facing rural and founder-led organizations. The session offered tools to support leadership continuity and long-term stability. Together, the workshops reinforced that advancing a mission requires meeting todayʼs needs while preparing for tomorrowʼs changes. Attendees gained practical tools and connections with peers navigating similar challenges. For the Catawba Nation Foundation, participating in CCPN reflects a commitment to strengthening Cleveland Countyʼs nonprofit community. By supporting leadership development, thoughtful planning, and collaboration, Elevate helped lay the groundwork for stronger organizations and lasting community impact.

Calling Our Grant Partners: Volunteers Needed? Let us help spread the word! Share your upcoming events and ongoing volunteer needs for possible inclusion in Catawba Nation Foundation newsletters and communications over the next few months.LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS EVENT & EXHIBIT → IMPACT IN ACTION FALL 2026 / PARTNERSHIP & VOLUNTEERS CATAWBA NATION FOUNDATION 09 Catawba Nation Foundation joined Kings Mountain Historical Museumʼs 23rd Annual Fundraiser, celebrating Americaʼs 250th anniversary and recognizing Catawba contributions to the regionʼs history. The evening complemented the exhibit, “Choosing Sides: The Catawba Nation & the Fight for Independence,ˮ while supporting free educational programming and strengthening community connections through cultural preservation and shared learning. History Comes Alive at KMHM’s FundraiserP A R T N E R S H I PSUBMIT A VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY →

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