The CAHEC Foundation recently held two food box distributions that collectively provided nearly 30,000 meals to families in our footprint!

In partnership with the Interfaith Food Shuttle, the first distribution was held on November 7, in Rocky Mount, NC, where volunteers worked together to prepare and distribute 250 food boxes. Each car that came through the mobile market received a box of fresh produce, meat, bread, and non-perishable items, providing just over 9,000 meals. Another event will be held on Thursday, December 5, at the same location. Thank you to Mosaic Development, Southern Bank, Third Wave Housing, Truist, and United Bank for providing funding to make this initiative a possibility.

On November 14, volunteers from CAHEC, NC A&T University, and Food Lion gathered to help distribute boxes to 325 families in need. In partnership with the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC, the CAHEC Foundation was able to provide nearly 20,000 meals during the distribution. Households received toiletries, fresh produce, non-perishable items, a frozen turkey, and a gift card to their local grocery store. Thank you to Truist for their support of this initiative.

A common sight at both events was the significant number of cars lining up well before the distribution began, with some vehicles arriving three or more hours early to secure essential food items. Stefanie Lee, Community Relations Manager at CAHEC, expressed, "it is evident that the need for food assistance remains high in our footprint, as seen from the number of people who show up before the food box distribution begins. We are honored to play a small role in providing nutritious meals for residents in our community and remain hopeful that there is a future where these events are no longer necessary."

Please take a minute to watch the video from our Rocky Mount distribution:

The holidays are difficult for many low-income residents, and they are especially hard for seniors who may live alone. Kelsy Kato, Community Manager for Doyle Village in Darien, GA, had many conversations with her senior residents in the past few weeks, and learned this was the case for many of them. "They shared they'd be spending Thanksgiving alone or without a traditional meal. This prompted me to reach out to the community to see if we could make the holiday a little more special for them," Kelsey explained.

With a little help from the CAHEC Foundation, Kelsey was able to provide a meal kit for every resident at her property, complete with corn, cranberry sauce, green beans, dressing, and a smoked turkey. "Kelsey saw a need in her community and went the extra mile to ensure her residents felt loved and seen," explained Stefanie Lee, Community Relations Manager for CAHEC. "We were honored to support her in this effort and know the residents of Doyle Village had a wonderful Thanksgiving because of her thoughtfulness."

Thank you to CAHEC Management, Inc. and Kelsey Kato for making such a huge difference in the lives of residents!

For the past few years, The Humanities Foundation has hosted a Turkey Day Giveaway to help provide holiday meals for their residents. This year, they were able to distribute 1,610 turkey vouchers and meal boxes to feed over 8,000 people for Thanksgiving. The CAHEC Foundation was honored to support the initiative, and our partnership helped provide meals to residents at CAHEC-sponsored properties, including Glenwood Ridge Apartments and Keswick I and II Apartments. Each household - totaling more than 330 units - was able to receive enough food for their Thanksgiving meal.

We're proud to have so many partners that believe in giving back to the community. Thank you to The Humanities Foundation for organizing this terrific event and for providing this resource to so many neighbors in need.