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chapelhill.porchcommunities.org |
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The NC Huddle – October 2023 |
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.
So far, in 2023, you've collected $201,791 worth of non-perishable food. Wow! Thank you for your extraordinary efforts! We are so proud to have 120 active neighborhoods and 141 active NCs.
The following NCs have come on board in recent months: Michelle Hetherington in Winmore and Jaya Nair in Providence Glen. We are so glad to have them as part of our fantastic team of neighborhood ambassadors!
KIT FOR NEIGHBORHOOD COORDINATORS
In recent weeks, we introduced a 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, Nov. 12 (3-7 p.m.) and Monday, Nov. 13 (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.
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. We added 39 families in October alone – the highest increase in our history! To serve the number of additional families requesting support, we need an equally significant increase in collected donations. Our goal was to have 575 total families enrolled in our Food for Families program before the end of the year. We are already at an all-time high of 585. 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 (including more than 1,355 children) 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.
– $20 gift provides milk and eggs for two families; $35 provides a grocery gift card for one family; $50 provides a nine-day supply of fresh food for one family; $300 sponsors fresh food for a family for six months; and $600 sponsors fresh food for a family for a year.
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Meet Our New Program Manager
This summer, Robin Lin joined PORCH as the new part-time program manager. Robin is primarily responsible for procurement of food and other resources, distribution to our participants, and our Food for Schools program.
Robin has been deeply involved in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community since 2005 both as a small business owner and also as a volunteer in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school district.
Robin’s family has been volunteering with PORCH for years, and she is committed to PORCH’s mission and continuing the relationships that have been developed.
Robin enjoys the very special moments she has with her husband and her two daughters. She loves a good cup of coffee, cooking, traveling, and kayaking.
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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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Birthday Wishes
We distributed birthday kits to 20 participant families this summer, thanks to a generous donation by a local family. The response was heartwarming, with many big smiles and excited faces – and we heard several exclamations of “it’s my birthday tomorrow” or “her birthday was yesterday!”
Inspired by this, Neighborhood Coordinator Betty Wade of Wolf's Pond worked with children in her neighborhood last month to put together 20 birthday boxes for PORCH families. They assembled materials for a successful party (including a cake mix, candles, frosting, paper plates, and balloons) and decorated birthday cards.
Betty shared that most items came from the dollar store, and each kit cost about $10.
If you are interested in taking on this project in your neighborhood, reach out to us!
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Volunteer Highlights
We always have excellent help at our food sorts and beyond.
Recently:
Silver Creek Neighborhood Coordinators Poonam Pande and Karen Thorton collected a record amount of donations; Blue Ribbon Mentor Advocates – led by Terrence Foushee – helped us by double bagging; and the Chapel Hill High football team volunteered in August, doing a lot of heavy lifting in extreme heat.
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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