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chapelhill.porchcommunities.org |
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The NC Huddle – October 2022 |
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.
In July, August, and September, you collected approximately $46,000 worth of non-perishable food. Over the summer, we surpassed the $5 million mark – meaning PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro has provided more than $5 million in hunger relief to our community since we were founded in 2010. Thank you for your extraordinary efforts!
Here are this edition's helpful hints and updates:
– Our 2023 sort dates are now listed on the website. Please mark your calendars.
– PORCH recently created a Volunteer Waiver Agreement and a Volunteer Confidentiality Agreement to help us protect our organization, our volunteers, and the confidentiality of our participants. We are requiring that all volunteers review these agreements and submit a signature form before participating in PORCH activities. This will be an annual requirement. We are also requesting emergency contact information for our volunteers. Please access the form, allowing us to capture your electronic signature. Please note, if you are under 18, you need to have a parent or guardian review and sign these agreements along with you.
– We will have year-end holiday postcards available for you at Extraordinary Ventures in November and December. Preview it here! If you wish to distribute these to neighbors as 2022 comes to a close, we’d love that. Of course, we want them to feel appreciated and valued – and motivated to continue with their food and monetary donations into the new year. One NC told us that she writes personalized cards to each of her neighbors, and she’s seen great success with postcard recipients becoming regular donors. Our holiday cards leave some space for you to include a personal note! The PORCH Swag and Resource Table is full of other great PORCH merchandise designed to assist you in your role as NC so you can recruit and retain donors, communicate effectively, and thank your neighbors. Be sure to check it out while you're at EV!
– We have created a library of past editions of The Huddle and placed it on our website, in case you want to go back and review prior tips and tricks.
– We are currently seeking Neighborhood Coordinators in various neighborhoods, including Cates Farm. Do you know of anyone who can help fill this role? This is a great leadership opportunity for students! Prospective NCs can reach out to us at chc@porchcommunities.org. You can pass along the link to our Neighborhood Coordinator information page, which gets into the nuts and bolts of what NCs do; it includes this very handy video.
– Look to our social media (Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter) for quotes from families enrolled in our programs, behind-the-scenes photos, the latest statistics, and news updates. Feel free to borrow that information as you talk to your neighbors about your role as NC!
– 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, Nov. 13 (3-7 p.m.) and Monday, Nov. 14 (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 Nov. 6 and 10.
– In case you missed it: Our Food for Thought advocacy program is back! It takes less than five minutes to write a postcard while you are at Extraordinary Ventures. The message on the postcard changes each month depending on current events or pieces of legislation; it will be sent to one, two, or three elected officials. We encourage you to participate often! Let our legislators know we are paying attention and insist they enact policies that prioritize our most vulnerable neighbors. Beginning in November, help us grow our advocacy program by letting your neighbors know they can write postcards from the comfort of home. To participate, email Kathy Hohneker at khohnekr@gmail.com to let her know how many of your neighbors would like to join in. We’ll then prepare packets with the postcards, scripted messages, stamps, and mailing labels. Packets can be picked up at Extraordinary Ventures when you drop off bags of food, and then delivered to your neighbors’ porches. Neighbors simply write their postcards and drop them in the mail. For more information about our growing advocacy program, see our Food for Thought page.
As always, 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 provide fresh food, too! Once a month, enrollees in our Food for Families program each receive 35-40 pounds of produce such as potatoes, green beans, apples, broccoli, zucchini, sweet potatoes, onions, and peppers, along with chicken, eggs, milk, and non-perishable items. More than 500 families (over 2,100 individuals) are enrolled, having 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.
– Among our 200 monthly volunteers are fantastic interpreters who assist with communicating with our families in Spanish, Burmese, and Karen.
– Local businesses and organizations sponsor our Food for Schools program, which provides supplemental snacks to students in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools who are hungry and struggling to concentrate in the classroom. Each school receives $1,000 worth of food in a school year – cheese crackers, granola bars, applesauce, apples, protein bars, trail mix, fruit bars, and more. To learn more, check out our feature on this program.
– We currently have about 115 active neighborhoods around Chapel Hill and Carrboro contributing non-perishable food each month. Plus, many civic groups, places of worship, workplaces, schools, etc. hold one-time or annual food drives that generate many bags of non-perishables.
– $5 provides milk and eggs to one family; $25 provides chicken, milk and eggs for two families; $50 provides 10 days’ worth of fresh food to one family; $300 sponsors fresh food for a family for six months; and $600 sponsors fresh food for a family for a year.
– Since the holidays are approaching, it's a good time to point out that you honor a special person in your life by donating to PORCH. We will send the honoree a letter acknowledging the generous contribution. Learn more on our Donate page.
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Meet Your Fellow NCs
The following NCs have come on board in recent months. We are so glad to have them as part of this awesome team!
Tabitha Elien and Molly Yates, Camden Lane
* Karen Miller, Church of Reconciliation
* Donna Moss, Holy Trinity Anglican Church
Matthew Kilgallen, Lake Hogan Farm - The Legends & Ballentine
Sarah Kappelman, Lake Hogan Farm - Turtleback Crossing
* Jenn Monshaugen, Lanier Drive
Keerthi Madhavapeddi, Piney Mountain
* Meg Stouffer, The Shire
Ryan Davis, Wexford
* Angela Yang, Windhover Drive
Susan Romaine, Winmore Drive
* Elizabeth Wilkes, Winsome Lane
* new neighborhood as well as a new NC!
New Neighborhood Coordinator Jenn Monshaugen (pictured below) reported that she had a great time going door to door (along with her husband and their dog) handing out paper bags and information cards to explain how PORCH collections work. They met lots of neighbors who are excited to donate non-perishable food items!
Phil Travers and Stephanie Shipman (pictured at bottom) are Neighborhood Coordinators in Falconbridge and have collected non-perishable food donations from their neighbors for 16 consecutive months! Such dedication! Thank you.
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It Takes a Village – and Ours Is Awesome!
Pictured clockwise from far left:
– Kyla works at Extraordinary Ventures but comes in early to help PORCH on our sort days. “I like it because I know I am providing for those who are in need in our community,” she says.
– Welcome to Sor Angela, a new volunteer at our food distribution day! We’re so glad to have her on the PORCH team.
– “Please come and help us; you will be so happy. You will give a little and receive a lot.” Those wise words for anyone thinking about getting involved with PORCH come from one of our Spanish interpreters, Lucky Reumann. Learn more about her by reading this feature on our blog.
– Ethan, 11, Lilliana, 9, and Ellie, 6, raised $88 for PORCH by selling lemonade, muffins, bread, and juice. The siblings regularly budget money for their family’s PORCH donation and love to shop for non-perishable items to contribute. When they came to EV to drop off the money, they decided to sort food for an hour. The family also did some deliveries for us!
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PO Box 16363
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
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