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chapelhill.porchcommunities.org |
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Hello!
Welcome to another edition of PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro’s quarterly newsletter, helping you stay up to date on everything happening within our organization.
Some of the most recent headlines:
– Earlier this month, because of your dedication, our volunteers packed 520 bags of non-perishable food for our Food for Families participants. We are now serving a record number of families. Each of our 641 families (more than 2,400 of our neighbors, including more than 1,399 children) also took home two dozen eggs, a gallon of milk, a large box of fresh produce from Produce Box, and a grocery store gift card. Our Burmese, Karen, and Congolese refugee participants received culturally-relevant produce along with their milk, eggs, and gift card.
– In February, March, and April, we collected gently used children's books for the Public School Foundation's "Books Over Break," a summer literacy program whose goal is to prevent summer setback. PSF will distribute these books to families who may be unable to provide them for their students. Thank you to everyone who contributed books!
– Members of Chi Omega at UNC created 30 birthday celebration kits for PORCH. These kits – featuring a cake mix, frosting, candles, and more – will bring so much joy to families in our communities!
– The December 2023 Round Up partnership with Weaver Street Market raised $18,700 for our organization. Since our partnership with Weaver Street Market started in 2015, their shoppers have donated an astounding $414,342 to PORCH. We are so grateful for the community support!
– As our community needs continue to grow, we are seeking more volunteers. If you know someone who would like to learn more, please have them email sofia@porchcommunities.org.
– We are currently seeking Neighborhood Coordinators in communities all around Chapel Hill and Carrboro. If your neighborhood doesn't have a Neighborhood Coordinator, would you or someone you know want to help fill this role? This is a great leadership opportunity for students! Prospective NCs can reach out to us at chc@porchcommunities.org. Check out our Neighborhood Coordinator information page, which gets into the nuts and bolts of what NCs do; it includes this very handy video.
Read on for more exciting updates. And check our blog regularly to learn the latest developments. Thank you, as always, for being part of the PORCH community!
Best,
The PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro Team
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The Return of
Festa Della Terra
Through her annual Festa Della Terra, Chapel Hill realtor Natalie Marrone combines two of her loves: the arts community and giving back.
Festa Della Terra is an “artful food drive” that benefits PORCH and is held in Natalie’s backyard each spring. This year's event will take place on April 20 (the rain date is April 21). Learn more and make plans to attend!
Festa Della Terra features an art gallery amid Natalie’s backyard trees. (Susan Brubaker Knapp, host of “Quilting Arts TV," is among the artists – her work is pictured.) Plus, there are refreshments and plenty of reunions among neighbors and friends of all ages. Live music will be provided by West African harpist Will Ridenour, as well as operatic performer Mitchener Howell. Attendees bring non-perishable goods for PORCH, such as peanut butter, cereal, and rice.
Last year, hundreds of bags were collected – the event’s contributions fed 300 families for a full month.
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On the Run – and On a Mission
Members of Morris Grove Elementary’s Girls on the Run program brainstormed ways they could do something to impact their community, and they decided to host a food drive for PORCH. We are so grateful for their support!
Food drives are an easy and incredibly effective way to help PORCH! Find a list of our most needed items, a promotional flyer, and some instructions on our website. Use a designated tub/bin/basket to set up your food drive collection site. Choose a high-traffic location, whether that’s your front porch, office, neighborhood clubhouse, or gym.
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Volunteer Spotlight
Rohan Jensen, 13, is proof that PORCH volunteers can make a substantial difference in fighting food insecurity at any age. The eighth grader lives in the Gimghoul neighborhood and is among PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro’s newest Neighborhood Coordinators.
“In my school, we’ve had people talk about food insecurity,” he says. “It’s something we can do. It doesn’t take that much time. It’s something to help other people.”
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Fighting Food Insecurity in Schools
“It gets lost in Chapel Hill – we have world-class health care and innovation,” says Nick Vaughn, managing partner at Kitchen & Bath Galleries, which sponsors Food for Schools. “It’s easy to think that everyone is rich and good to go. You don’t have to spend a lot of time outside to realize – that’s just not true. … When little kids are involved, what can we do to make sure that everybody has that safety net and can learn and grow and become the best version of themselves?”
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.
“Our kids really need and enjoy the snacks,” says Brenda McNeely-Allen, the school social worker at East Chapel Hill High. “The snacks have also helped me to develop relationships with kids that I probably never would have met.”
Food for Schools is made possible by supporting local businesses and benefactors.
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Pitch In to Help Us Provide More Food for Families in Chapel Hill and Carrboro
The number of families in our programs is at an all-time high of 641.
We anticipate dozens of additional families will seek our food assistance in 2024, and we want to be able to say yes to every single one.
We provide fresh and non-perishable food to more than 2,400 individuals each month (including 1,399 children). Our programs are made possible by caring community members like you. Since our founding in 2010, we have provided more than $6 million in hunger relief, thanks to our dedicated army of volunteers, donors, and partners.
For families facing food insecurity, help cannot wait. Can you make a financial contribution to help PORCH combat hunger in Chapel Hill and Carrboro?
$300 – or $25/month – will provide a family with a grocery gift card each month so they can buy much-needed items specific to their well being.
$600 – or $50/month – will provide a family with a large box of fresh fruits and veggies, a gallon of milk, and two dozen eggs each month.
$1,200 – or $100/month – will provide a family with a large box of fresh produce, milk, eggs, a $25 gift card, and a bag of groceries each month.
Go to our donate page to make your gift online. Click on “recurring donation” if you wish to become a PORCH monthly sustainer. You can also mail a check payable to PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro to P.O. Box 16363, Chapel Hill, NC 27516-6363.
Whether you contribute $25 or $600, your support makes a huge difference.
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"PORCH means that I can offer [my child] healthy food more often as our food stamps run out. She looks forward to the healthy treats every month."
– a Food for Families participant
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PO Box 16363
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
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