CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It used to be that after couples got married, there was a good old-fashioned pantry pounding to help fill the pantry.

"People would bring a pound of sugar, a pound of flour, all the essentials, so that when they got ready to start their life that was taken of care for them," said Lynn Swisshelm, who works with the Charlotte Rescue Mission.

Charlotte Rescue is using the old newlyweds' tradition to stock its shelves.

"All of those items that are essential to just meeting the basic needs of an individual, so we can bring the meals together on a whole because we serve a lot of people," said Marcus King, food services manager with the Charlotte Rescue Mission.

Like most nonprofits, Charlotte Rescue was hit hard by the slumping economy.

"We did some really severe cuts, looking at different ways we could save money without compromising services," said Swisshelm.

While there's a lot of food in their warehouse and their pantry, keep in mind, they serve more than 450 meals daily. That's why they need your help now more than ever.

"A lot of people who have been doing well for many years are without now," said King.

As for those giving, Swisshelm said, "They're still giving, maybe not as much as they did before, but they're still continuing to give."

Even a little, they say, can go a long way.

"Like when they're going out to grocery stores maybe they can pick up an extra 5 pounds of sugar and donate that. If we get 10 people to donate 5 pounds of sugar, then you got 50 pounds of sugar. We can go through 50 pounds of sugar in a week here," King said.

Charlotte Rescue Mission is always taking donations of food, clothes or money.

If you'd like to help, you can drop off your donation at 907 W. 1st Street in Charlotte or you can call 704-334-4635 ext. 221. You can also visit their website at www.charlotterescuemission.org.

Pantry Pounding runs from July 6 through August 14.