Meet the Viviers Family, Who Volunteer Together Each Month for PORCH

Originally from South Africa, the Viviers family has lived in Chapel Hill for four years. Grant is a senior IT project manager for a biomedical company, while Wendy is a doctor of physical therapy who teaches student physical therapists. Daughter Chloe, 20, is a junior at UNC, studying biochemistry. She spends her summers purifying and experimenting with G proteins for research as a member of the Dohlman Lab. Daughter Jordyn, 17, will soon be a senior at Chapel Hill High School. A STEM lover, she is president of the robotics team, president of Model UN, president of Class Council 2025, and field hockey captain. 

The family started volunteering for PORCH in July 2020 out of a garage in their neighborhood – the normal sorting site was not in use during the height of the pandemic. Now settled into their monthly roles at Extraordinary Ventures, Wendy and Grant create order out of the mayhem, setting up food tables with military precision to make bagging quicker and easier. Chloe and Jordyn sort the miscellaneous table (no small feat!), pack bags for pantries, and keep an accurate tally of bags for families, ensuring no one is left out. 

They love the opportunity to spend time together in a setting where there is no electronic media. Instead, there is great music playing, lots of laughter, and some exercise thrown into the mix. 

We asked each member of the family what they enjoy most about working with PORCH: 

Grant: “PORCH is an opportunity to contribute to something that is socially meaningful, and we get to do it as a family, which we really enjoy.” 

Wendy: “The camaraderie (it’s a fun way to spend the day), and the knowledge of just how much this small investment of time on our part means to families struggling with food insecurity. It is also a great opportunity to show our children how blessed they are and teach them a service mindset that they will continue to pay forward for the rest of their lives.” 

Chloe: “Forging relationships with the new and returning volunteers. There’s a strong sense of community within the PORCH family that makes our mission all the more gratifying.” 

Jordyn: “I enjoy knowing that, at least in some way, I’m helping improve the lives of those in my community. I also enjoy seeing the people in our community coming together to support a cause that is set to help those in need.” 

We also asked what they would say to someone is considering getting involved with PORCH: 

Grant: “You should seriously consider it. You have nothing to lose, and others have so much to gain from your kindness.” 

Wendy: “Just do it. It is a wonderful opportunity to make a difference in your community with a very small time investment. It never fails to warm the heart.” 

Chloe: “The PORCH environment is wonderfully inviting to new and returning volunteers alike, and you will leave each shift knowing that you have done your part in serving your community.” 

Jordyn: “DO IT! Don’t spend any more time thinking about it because that is time you are wasting. It is never too late to pass it forward and make someone’s life a bit better.” 

When asked why she thinks PORCH’s mission is so critical, Wendy added:

“The level of food insecurity in our community is so overwhelming that even if we wanted to help as individuals, most of us wouldn’t know where to start. This is thankfully where PORCH has stepped in and established an incredible system to address food insecurity head on. All that is needed is some baggers, packers, sorters, drivers, distributors, translators, advocates, and cheerleaders; just ordinary people helping their people. PORCH affords my family the privilege of belonging to something so much bigger than ourselves. Together, we make a difference, no question about it.”