(nails thudding) - [Dara] Take a listen to that.

It may sound like regular old construction, a roof repair just like any other.

- Looking good, guys!

- [Dara] But Marguerite Dargan hears it as the sweet sound of relief.

- Feel like I've been to Disney World already again.

- [Dara] It's been a tough 12 months for her.

- My husband was diagnosed with cancer last year.

Tomorrow be a whole year.

- [Dara] Marguerite says taking care of her sick husband and dealing with the leaky roof they couldn't afford to get fixed made a bad situation worse.

- We've just been going through so much to be senior citizen and didn't know where to go for funds to help us.

And everywhere that we went, they closed the doors on us.

- [Dara] The Charlotte nonprofit For The Struggle saved the day getting the Dargans a free roof.

- Y'all look godsend, I mean, there's just so many seniors.

You gonna have people ringing your phone.

- Let 'em ring, that's what we're here for.

- [Dara] Since 2020, the organization's Elder Response Initiative has done major repairs like HVAC systems, plumbing, and insulation at over 80 homes.

- Oftentimes our senior citizen population is forgotten.

And so it's so important to me to make sure they are taken care of, that they have the basic necessities.

And as you can see, you know, we're very serious about getting in, getting the work done as quickly and efficiently as possible.

- [Dara] Growing up, Alicia had a passion for empowering others.

In high school and college, she started education programs that got failing middle schoolers ready for high school, at the same time, it prepared her.

- The reason I became an attorney, a civil rights attorney in particular, was to be a voice for people and to fight for people who couldn't otherwise fight for themselves.

And so that idea really translates into the work that we're doing through the nonprofit as well.

- [Dara] Some of that work happens right here in her organization's West Charlotte Kitchen, where staff cook homemade meals for seniors in this historically black neighborhood.

- The areas that we serve are primarily considered food deserts, and so they're usually, our seniors are usually in a position where they don't have access to fresh vegetables or not easy access to fresh vegetables.

We want to fill in that gap.

- [Dara] According to Mecklenburg County Public Health, nearly 12% of homes in the county are food insecure.

You'll find Antwan Chambers here twice a week serving over 400 people.

- It just feels so, it feels very meaningful to like walk up to their doors and know that like at least for tonight, you don't have to think about where your meal's gonna come from.

You don't have to stand up in your kitchen for hours.

You have a meal, and you could just take the night off and relax.

- [Dara] You won't find him relaxing.

On cooking days, they start early in the morning, and it takes about five hours.

- When I'm preparing these meals, I'm thinking about like, if my grandma was to receive this plate, and I would want to give my grandmother my best work, 'cause again, she taught me so much of what I know.

I wouldn't want her to feel disappointed or like, what is this?

So I make sure not to do that for them too.

- [Dara] From the kitchen to the doorstep, intern Gabriel Hosey gets to see the impact.

- And it just means so much to me, 'cause I know that my grandparents or my family, once they get older, they'll have someone to help them out here.

- [Dara] We've seen the group repair homes, deliver food to homes, but they also want to help the elderly keep their hopes.

- There is a very large senior citizen population on this corridor and that folks are legitimately afraid of being displaced because of the rapid growth in gentrification that's happening in Charlotte.

- [Dara] Alicia and her team have seen a lot of alarming tactics.

- Predatory investors (laughs) knocking on doors with suitcases with cash in it.

You know, trying to convince senior citizens to sell their homes, sending notifications in the mail like final notice, you know, to sell your home and different things like that.

- [Dara] Here's how For The Struggle fights back.

It offers free estate planning and legal representation for property-related issues.

Alicia's experience as an attorney really comes in handy.

- We all wanna get, you know, to their age, and it's also my hope that there'll be someone there to look out for me as well and my family members and my loved ones.

And so that's what keeps us going.

- [Dara] Going to help people like Marguerite for generations.

For "Carolina Impact," I'm Dara Khaalid.