Hello Friends,

A few weeks ago we got the final tally for our impact in 2025, including the number of pounds of food collected, how many meals that food provided, and total value of the food. We were blown away. Again and again, you demonstrated your generosity and you came through for your neighbors. Thank you!

Please take a minute to skim through our impact report; I think you, too, will be amazed by what we've done together. In the meantime, I'd love to share just a few of the highlights:

• In 2025, we collected over 2 million pounds of food, valued at nearly $4.1 million. That equates to more than 2.6 million child-sized meals— or 2.6 million times children in our community didn't have to suffer hunger.

• We surpassed a milestone a decade in the making: 8 million total meals donated to our community since we got our start in 2015. Wow!

• We launched the Refugee Feeding Network to reach vulnerable families. Many of these lawful refugees are no longer eligible for SNAP benefits.

• When SNAP benefits were cut off for everyone during the government shutdown last fall, our community showed up with extra food, dollars, and volunteer hours to support local pantries. As pantry usage spiked, you fueled hope and kept families fed.

To every food donor, food recovery partner, volunteer, financial supporter, and friend, thank you! What you do for this community matters more than you know. We are grateful to be a part of it.

With immense gratitude,

PS: Have you seen our new Food Recovery Program video? Some very talented students at UNC Wilmington created it for us, and it's amazing!

It's Egg Hunt Season: Join in the Fun!

A Simple Gesture is excited to be one of six partners for this year’s Egg Hunt for Good, hosted by the Early Childhood Center & West Market Street United Methodist Church. Here’s how you can join the festivities (it's free!):

🥚Easter egg hunts for kids of all ages

🌷An egg hunt just for adults. Come and help our team win a cash prize! 

🎨Crafts & activities

🍿Snacks for everyone

🍬Every child leaves with a treat bag

Location:

📍 LeBauer Park

🗓️ Saturday, March 28 | 3:00–4:30 PM

🌧️ Rain date: Sunday, March 29

Bring nonperishable food items to donate to local food pantries — every contribution makes a real difference for our neighbors. Learn more: westmarketchurch.org/egghuntforgood

Did You Know? Learn About the A Simple Gesture Legacy Society

The Trivers Legacy Society is named in honor of Jonathan and Karen Trivers, the original founders of A Simple Gesture in Paradise, California. The society provides an opportunity to become part of something that will outlast all of us: a Guilford County where no neighbor goes hungry.

If you’d like to learn more, please email Karen or Leslie or give them a call at 336-547-7000. Get the details at www.asimplegesture.org/legacy-giving.

Greensboro Swarm Headed to the Playoffs: Claim Your Free Tickets!

Make history with the Greensboro Swarm! The team will host its first-ever home playoff game on Tuesday, March 31, or Wednesday, April 1. To celebrate this milestone, the team is offering complimentary tickets for the game. To claim yours, click here or go to https://charlottehornets.formstack.com/forms/playoff_ticket_interest

A Simple Gesture is proud to be the recipient of a generous grant from the Charlotte Hornets Foundation. The Greensboro Swarm is the NBA G league affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets. Go Swarm!

Can't Get to the Grocery Store? No Problem!

We've all done it: It's the week for your green bag pickup, but your bag isn't ready. Maybe you're out of town, maybe you caught the flu, or maybe you just haven't had a chance to shop. What to do?

We have good news! You can order the items you'd planned to put in your bag, and ship them right to our office. Just let us know that you plan to do that is and we'll take you off the volunteer driver's route for that pickup. Easy!

Each option works a little differently, but they're all super-convenient:

Target offers free shipping on orders over $35 and free drive-up pickups. Two-day shipping is free with a Target Circle Card.

Amazon generally offers free shipping on orders over $35 as long as the item is marked "free shipping." Of course if you have Amazon Prime shipping is free unless marked.

Walmart offers free shipping, free delivery from the store, and free drive-up pickups on orders over $35. If you have a mix of shipping and delivery/pickup items you may incur a service charge, so be sure to choose all delivery or all shipping to avoid that charge. If you have Walmart+, shipping and delivery are free.

Please note, each retailer's inventory changes quickly. Always feel free to substitute other brands or items similar to what's on our wish lists!

Join Us: Our Next Meetup Is April 2



Head over to Core Coffee, 4000 Ossi Ct. in High Point, for coffee (or tea, or smoothies) on Thursday, April 2 at 10 am. Chat with Leslie and the ASG team about the current state of hunger in Guilford County, recent changes with SNAP benefits, opportunities to impact policy, new ways to help, and more.

Please RSVP, we hope to see you there!

And the Award Goes To: Food Recovery Program Recognized for Excellence



A Simple Gesture Food Recovery completes over 125 food recovery pickups every week. Wow! In 2025, that added up to over $3 million of food that might have otherwise gone in the trash. Check out these examples of how local and state agencies are taking notice.

• Our school-based SHARE program is now listed as a Model Program with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.

• A Simple Gesture received the Live Green Sustainability Champion Award from the City of Greensboro Office of Sustainability and Resilience. This award recognizes community organizations, businesses, and individuals who foster sustainability, literacy, and awareness through community partnerships. Check out the photos above!



• A Simple Gesture was asked to be a charter member of the newly formed National Food Recovery Association.

Did You Know? You Can Donate Food Every Month!



Most of our food donors participate in our highly effective every-other-month pickups. However some food donors prefer to give food every month: Some like the regularity of the monthly schedule, others want more opportunities to donate, and some simply didn't know that giving every month is an option! If you'd like to switch, just let us know.

From Our Sustainers: 

Be a Hero for Hunger



"Life is busy, and because of that sometimes I've forgotten to put out my green bag. Each time, I felt really bad about it! Then I switched to a monthly financial donation. Problem solved!" — Anonymous financial donor

Thank you to this donor and to all of our monthly sustainers. A gift in any amount — $10, $20, $50, $100 — each month is a huge help in getting children and families the food they need.

• Friendship Friends Meeting, St. Mary's Episcopal, Guilford Park Presbyterian, Morehead UMC, and Starmount Presbyterian for participating in our first Lenten Food Drive. It's not too late to join! Contact Rebecca to schedule a food drive for Palm Sunday or Easter and wrap up Lent in a big and meaningful way!
• Schnabel Engineering, for hosting a St. Patrick's Day food drive.
• Hope Fest 4 Hunger, the community-wide multicultural dance fest that raises funds for A Simple Gesture and Greensboro Urban Ministry. The event was a phenomenal success!
• Granville Capital, which launched a spring food drive.
• Got to be NC's Flavors of North Carolina event, where we recovered thousands of pounds of fresh produce, meat, dairy, specialty foods, and more.
• Alphi Phi Omega service fraternity at High Point University, who made thank-you phone calls to many food donors.
• Heartbreaker Marathon & Relay, the runners were so generous in donating to ASG and signing up to be green bag donors!
• Guilford County, which invited us to be a part of the Pleasant Garden Community Recycling event. Residents dropped off canned food donations along with their tricky-to-recycle household items.
• Spears and Ragsdale YMCA, whose Teen Leaders Clubs are competing to see which can collect the most food.
• Pearce Elementary for hosting a food drive, Colfax Elementary for hosting a cereal domino, and Southwest Elementary for hosting a mac and cheese domino. So fun!
• Irving Park UMC, which invited us to speak to their JOY group.
• Women's Professional Forum, which hosted a food drive at their March meeting.
• Carolina Pines, for inviting us to meet with residents and share more about ASG.
• Sunbird Storage, for generously donating storage space to keep us organized!
• Junior League of Greensboro, for continuing to support our mission and provide volunteers, funds, and enthusiasm!
• Westminster Presbyterian Church, for so many things including choosing us as the beneficiary for their special Easter offering.
• YOU, for filling a green bag, doing food recovery, volunteering to drive, sorting food as it's delivered, making a financial gift, liking our social media, decreasing food waste at home, and telling your neighbors about A Simple Gesture. Thank you for being part of the ASG community!