Longtime PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro Neighborhood Coordinator and UNC professor Sarah Dempsey has been engaging her neighbors and campus community around PORCH’s mission for more than half a decade. Through service learning partnerships, community get-togethers, and good old feet on the ground work, she has helped collect thousands of pounds of food for our neighbors!
Blog
Neighborhood Coordinator Highlight: Sarah Dempsey
How did you first hear about PORCH and when did you become a Neighborhood Coordinator?
I first heard about PORCH through word of mouth way back in 2011 or so when efforts were just getting started. I became a Neighborhood Coordinator in 2021.
Do you coordinate the food drives yourself or with the help of another coordinator/family?
My family takes the lead each month on our end of the neighborhood. What’s been really great is collaborating with fellow Coker Hills Coordinator/neighbor Shauna Farmer on ways to increase involvement such as by door knocking or writing letters. We also pitch in to cover one another’s route as needed if one of us is away.
What is your favorite part of being a Neighborhood Coordinator?
Supporting and caring for neighbors.
What unique ways have you engaged your neighbors in the monthly food drives?
I’m always looking for ways to pair any sort of event or gathering with a call for donations. For example, we’re quickly approaching the third year that we’ve partnered with Coker Hill’s annual Oktoberfest to include a food drive for PORCH. Each year we challenge neighbors to bring more donations than the last year.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your experience as a Coordinator/being connected to PORCH?
Talking about hunger and food insecurity, breaking the stigma surrounding both, and advocating for change is so important and I’m grateful for PORCH’s work.