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chapelhill.porchcommunities.org |
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PORCH Views – October 2023 |
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:
– In September, because of your dedication, our volunteers packed 442 bags of non-perishable food for our Food for Families participants. Each of our 567 families (more than 2,330 of our neighbors, including more than 1,300 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 participants who are refugees from Burma also received beautiful, locally grown traditional Asian vegetables, such as sweet potato greens, thanks to Transplanting Traditions Community Farm.
– The Chapel Hill High football team recently volunteered with us, doing a lot of heavy lifting in extreme heat. We are so appreciative!
– 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. 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.
– This month's Food for Thought messaging thanks North Carolina's leaders for passing Medicaid expansion. It's easy to write a postcard. Get all of the details on our website.
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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Leading the Way
Representatives from the United Way of the Greater Triangle joined our sort and pack last month. They came to see PORCH in action and to learn how the funding from their Community Impact Grant will be put to good use!
Pictured: Eric Guckian, Dave Mills, Nathan Snowden, Nicole Coscolluela, and Jeff Howell.
Also pictured from our team: Erin Riney, Lenore Jones-Peretto, and Linda Browner.
Additionally, members of our team attended a partners' reception recently.
PORCH’s Lenore Jones-Peretto, Lucky Reumann Yofre, Robin Lin, and Laura Malinchock are pictured with Crystal Wilson, United Way’s chief outreach officer.
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Rise & Shine
Snooze A.M. Eatery is opening soon in Chapel Hill (1800 E. Franklin St., in Eastgate), and on Sunday, Nov. 5, you can get a sneak peek during a celebration that benefits PORCH!
As the staff trains in the days leading up to Snooze's grand opening, friends of PORCH are invited to enjoy one complimentary entree – such as pancakes, eggs benedict, or breakfast sandwiches – and a non-alcoholic beverage. Donations to PORCH will be encouraged.
The event runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reservations are required and can be made at this link. Don't delay, as space is limited.
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Cooking Confidante
Through PORCH Cooks, our organization provides recipes and nutrition information each month to the more than 565 families in Chapel Hill and Carrboro who are enrolled in our Food for Families program.
This is made possible by volunteer Katie Clarke. For the better part of a decade, she has developed simple, approachable recipes for us to share, along with information about cooking techniques and food storage.
“I like to think that kids are being brought more into kitchens [because of these recipes]," she says. "One of my founding objectives of this was reinvigorating kitchen confidence. That is a big mission of mine. Over and over, research shows the more people make their own food, the healthier they are in general.”
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Fighting Food Insecurity in Schools
Last month, school social workers picked up their first 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.
“When students come up for a snack, I often think how hard it must be for them to do work – to focus – when they’re hungry. I am so very grateful for this program,” says Smith Middle School social worker Tina Moore.
Food for Schools is made possible by sponsorships from local businesses and benefactors.
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Fall Food Drives
Matt Mckinney delivered a trunk full of food collected by the families at Duke School during their fall festival food drive.
Food drives like these help us fill bags for our growing number of Food for Family participants.
If your workplace or community organization wants to host a food drive for PORCH, it’s pretty easy! Go to our website for a list of our most needed items, a promotional flyer, and some instructions. Use a designated tub/bin/basket to set up your collection site. Choose a high-traffic location, whether that’s your front porch, office, neighborhood clubhouse, or gym.
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Pitch In to Help Us Provide More Food for Families in Chapel Hill and Carrboro
In 2023, our goal is to have 575 total families enrolled in our Food for Families program.
The number of families in our programs is already at an all-time high of 567.
We provide fresh and non-perishable food to more than 2,330 individuals each month (including more than 1,300 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?
A $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.
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 $20 or $500, your support makes a huge difference.
Don’t forget to claim any matching funds from your employer. This can double your impact!
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"[PORCH] gives me a healthy option. It allows us to eat better without spending more."
– a Food for Families participant
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PO Box 16363
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
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