PORCH Neighborhood Food Drives on Sunday, Jan. 9 & Monday, Jan. 10

Donate Now

chapelhill.porchcommunities.org

Setting Out To Fight Hunger

Next PORCH Food Collection – Jan. 9 & 10

Greetings from PORCH!

Happy New Year! It's almost time for our monthly food collection – the first collection of 2022. The next PORCH Sort Dates are Jan. 9 and 10.

Last month was a smashing success, thanks to you! We packed more than 655 bags of groceries. Figuring that each bag weighs about 20 pounds, that means we handled more than 13,000 pounds of food!

Keep up with the latest from PORCH by visiting our blog – you'll find news there about our plans to hire a full-time program manager. Are you interested, or do you know of a good candidate? Please let us know by contacting chcjobs@porchcommunities.org.

A reminder to view the entire list of 2022 PORCH dates. Please mark your calendars.

Thank you in advance for helping us welcome 2022 in a big way!

Best,

The PORCH Team

P. S. A special thank you to local photographer Tom Simon for capturing the images published in this newsletter!

Most Needed Non-Perishables for Pantries Served by PORCH

Plastic containers of peanut butter and jelly
1 lb. and 2 lb. bags of rice
Cans of fruits and vegetables of all kinds
Oatmeal and low-sugar cereals
Cans of tuna and chicken
Cans of hearty soups and stews
Tasty Bite packets or Hormel single-serving meals
Healthy snacks such as applesauce, raisins, peanuts, granola bars, and peanut butter crackers
Pasta and pasta sauce
Nutrition drinks such as Ensure and low-sugar juices (no sodas, please!)

Give to PORCH

We are now serving 500 families in our Food for Families program, including 2,100 individuals who are at risk of food insecurity. But even more community members need our help. A new variant is raging, and, simultaneously, many of the safeguards that were put in place at the start of the pandemic are being rolled back, such as jobless benefits and eviction moratoriums.

An overwhelming majority of participants in our Food for Families Program say they sometimes, often, or always worry about having enough food to feed their families, and 71 report less income due to the pandemic.

As one PORCH participant recently told us: "PORCH means relief from the stress of getting enough money to buy quality food for our children."

We need your support in order to continue this vital work. Can you make a tax-deductible donation to PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro? Go online – chapelhill.porchcommunities.org/donate – or mail a check payable to PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro to P.O. Box 16363, Chapel Hill, NC 27516-6363.

It costs $50 to provide one family with fresh food for a week. Let's serve more families in 2022. Consider becoming a sustainer by setting up monthly donations to PORCH. Every dollar we receive makes a meaningful difference in the fight against food insecurity.

Thank you for strengthening the safety net for our most vulnerable community members during this time of immense hardship.

A Special Note to Neighborhood Coordinators

Extraordinary Ventures (200 S. Elliott Road, Chapel Hill) remains the drop-off point for bags collected from PORCH’s neighborhood food drives. (Pictured here are Paige and Brandon, from Extraordinary Ventures, and our non-perishable packing and sorting team leaders, Kate and Carol!)

Neighborhood Coordinators, there is no need to even get out of your car during the drop-off – volunteers will be right there to help unpack the bags from your trunk.

Hours for deliveries to Extraordinary Ventures:

Sunday, Jan. 9 from 3–7 PM

Monday, Jan. 10 from 8–10 AM

When you arrive at Extraordinary Ventures, look for PORCH yard signs to guide you around the back of the building to the drop-off site.

If you cannot make a delivery during this designated time, you can help broaden our volunteer base by asking a neighbor to step up. If you are unable to arrange a drop-off, email chc@porchcommunities.org, and we will coordinate so that all donated bags are picked up from your porch.

PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro

PO Box 16363

Chapel Hill, NC 27516