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chapelhill.porchcommunities.org |
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The NC Huddle – January 2024 |
Hello!
Welcome to PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro's quarterly message that we send to all Neighborhood Coordinators (NCs), hoping that it will provide support and inspiration for the incredible work that you do.
You can read past editions here.
In 2023, you collected $210,000 worth of non-perishable food. Wow! Thank you for your extraordinary efforts! We are so proud to have 122 active neighborhoods and 137 active NCs.
The following NCs have come on board in recent months: Beth Duncan and Liz Schaller, Kent Woodlands and Cobble Ridge; Meg Flournoy, Sunset Creek; Anna Grabowski, Lake Forest; Alice Jacoby, Dogwood Acres; Krista Kern, Pine Knob/Arlington Street; Marianne Rohde, Zapada Lane/Founders Ridge; Donna Russo, Chapel Watch Village Townhouses. We are so glad to have them as part of our fantastic team of neighborhood ambassadors!
KIT FOR NEIGHBORHOOD COORDINATORS
A reminder about our Neighborhood Coordinator Starter Kit, which is loaded with resources, whether you are new to this work or quite seasoned! It includes:
- email templates to send to your neighbors as a way of introducing yourself and sharing PORCH’s mission
- a list of tips from other Neighborhood Coordinators
- printed materials such as door hangers, postcards, and thank you notes
- and much more!
Pick up your packet when you come to Extraordinary Ventures.
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UPCOMING DATES
Keep in mind that you can drop off food donations on Sundays from 3 to 7 p.m. at Extraordinary Ventures. In fact, getting donations on Sunday really helps us get the non-perishables sorted early so we can plan for how much food we can pack in our Food For Families bags. Sunday won’t work? No problem! Drop off from 8 to 10 a.m. on Mondays. A reminder that the next drop-off dates are Sunday, Feb. 11 (3-7 p.m.) and Monday, Feb. 12 (8-10 a.m.). We will send an email reminding you of these dates (and linking to our monthly message so that you can forward that to your contacts) on Feb. 5 and 9.
In addition to collecting our much-needed food donations next month, we are asking you to also collect gently-used children's books for the Public School Foundation's "Books over Break," a summer literacy program whose goal is to prevent “summer set-back.” PSF will distribute these books to families who may be unable to provide them for their students. Please bring these gently-used books to Extraordinary Ventures when you deliver the food you've collected.
If you are interested in scheduling a one-on-one consultation with our team to discuss ways you can enhance your neighborhood’s PORCH activities, please email us at chc@porchcommunities.org. We’d be happy to brainstorm with you! Thank you for all you do for PORCH!
Best,
The PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro Team
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PORCH Fact Sheet
Here are some key facts and statistics about PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro that you may want to pass along to donors and potential donors as you share our mission and correspond about upcoming collection dates:
– We are seeing a record need in our community. In January, we had 630 families enrolled in our Food for Families program, up from 619 in December. This represents 2,532 neighbors, including 1,425 children. We expect more than 700 families to need us in 2024, and we want to be able to say yes. To serve the number of additional families requesting support, we need an equally significant increase in collected donations. Please help us communicate this increased need and the importance of community support in our efforts to fight hunger in Chapel Hill and Carrboro.
– Through PORCH Cooks, we provide recipes and nutrition information each month to those enrolled in our Food for Families program. On our blog, learn more about Katie Clarke, a nutritionist who volunteers with us to develop simple, approachable recipes for us to share, along with information about cooking techniques and food storage.
– We provide fresh food, too! Once a month, enrollees in our Food for Families program each receive 20-25 pounds of produce such as potatoes, green beans, apples, broccoli, zucchini, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, cucumbers, and peppers, along with eggs, milk, and non-perishable groceries. Our families have been identified as being especially at risk of hunger by school social workers in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. They also receive grocery gift cards, providing them the dignity of choice to purchase meat, dairy, or health items.
– Among our 200 monthly volunteers are fantastic interpreters who assist with communicating with our families in Spanish, Burmese, and Karen.
– Food for Thought, our advocacy program, raises awareness about food insecurity, calls attention to the intersectionality of food insecurity and poverty, and strives to engage the community in grassroots, as well as systemic, solutions to address hunger.
– If a workplace or community organization wants to host a food drive for PORCH, it’s pretty easy! Find a list of our most needed items, a promotional flyer, and some instructions on our website. We have also posted a virtual food drive toolkit, if someone wants to collect money and then shop for groceries for PORCH through a service such as Instacart.
– Our board has embarked on a strategic plan to meet the growing demands of families facing food insecurity. Nearly 12 percent of North Carolina families are food insecure. We want to strengthen our infrastructure, our leadership, and our programs to meet the growing need. Read more on our website.
– $25 a month or $300 a year provides a family with a grocery gift card each month so families can buy much-needed items specific to their family’s well being. $50 a month or $600 a year provides a family with large boxes of fresh fruits and veggies, a gallon of milk, and two dozen eggs each month. $100 a month or $1,200 a year provides a family with large boxes of fresh fruits and veggies, a gallon of milk, two dozen eggs, a $25 gift card, and a bag of groceries each month.
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Better Together
"It divides the work in half, and it’s also someone to bounce ideas off of," says Amy. "Someone to help you when you’re on vacation or you need a break.”
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Additional Neighborhood Coordinators Wanted
We are seeking additional NCs throughout Chapel Hill and Carrboro. If you know of someone outside of your neighborhood who may be well suited for the role of Neighborhood Coordinator, please send them a compelling note explaining why you do this work and how rewarded you feel by it. You can pass along the link to this page, which gets into the nuts and bolts of this work; it includes this handy video.
This is a great role for high schoolers who are seeking community service opportunities!
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Snacks in Schools
Earlier this month, school social workers picked up their second Food for Schools bundle of this academic year.
Food for Schools provides supplemental food – like protein and granola bars, cheese crackers, and other non-perishables – to kids in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools who are hungry and struggling to concentrate in the classroom. PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro provides each of the 21 schools (including pre-k, Phoenix Academy, and Spire) with $1,100 worth of snacks per school year.
“It is a lifesaver for the kids because of lot of them don’t bring snacks – either they forget or they don’t have them," says Frank Porter Graham Elementary school social worker Suzeth Gonzalez. "I love PORCH. They are super generous.”
Food for Schools is made possible by sponsorships from local businesses and benefactors.
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Volunteer Highlights
We always have excellent help at our food sorts and beyond.
Recently:
This pair of siblings earned money and used it to shop for food for our families in need; Ken delivered two carts of food donations from The Cedars; and the Steins delivered food from a Carol Woods food drive!
We are so grateful to have such amazing and dedicated volunteers!
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PO Box 16363
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
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