Blog
November 2024: The Latest from PORCH
- Claire is a freshman in high school and a Neighborhood Coordinator for PORCH, collecting food in Lake Hogan Farms Circle. She loves that PORCH’s impact can be immediately felt by volunteers, donors, and participants. “It’s so local,” Claire says. “You can see – especially with the new physical space – the direct influence of what you’re giving to people. And you know it’s not getting handled by 15 people before it gets in the [family’s] hands.” Thank you for all you do, Claire! Read our blog feature.
- Have an upcoming event, such as a staff outing, a business open house, a holiday party, or a neighborhood gathering? Make a PORCH food drive part of your celebration! This will have an immediate impact on our neighbors experiencing food insecurity. Help us fill non-perishable bags for our 700 (and growing) families! Find easy instructions here: https://chapelhill.porchcommunities.org/monthly-food-drive
- Gonzalez Painters & Contractor gives back to the community in myriad ways – raising money for Hope Renovations and Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, painting PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro’s new community hub in downtown Carrboro at no charge, and sponsoring a mural project for art students at Carrboro High School. They are also a Food for Schools sponsor! “I think it’s important because we get so much from the community,” says Jesus Avendano, the company’s sales and marketing manager (pictured at far right). Learn more about this fantastic company.
- Excitement is building for volunteer opportunities at our Community Hub in downtown Carrboro! Soon, we will need folks to receive donations, sort and stock food, make meal kits and birthday kits, prepare our client-choice market for shoppers, supervise other volunteers, transport food, and more! Kids are welcome, and so are groups! We will also have sessions held in Spanish. Learn more.
- October marked another record month, with 700 families enrolled in our Food for Families program – 2,681 individuals, including 1,529 children. Volunteers packed a total of 530 non-perishable bags that were loaded into our participants’ cars, along with a gallon of milk, 2 dozen eggs, and a beautiful box of fresh fruits and vegetables. Our Burmese, Karen and Congolese Refugee families received a bag of beautiful fresh produce from Transplanting Traditions. All families received a grocery store gift card. Additionally, more than 100 non-perishable bags were delivered to 9 Food for Pantries partners. A big thank you to everyone that stepped up and signed up for extra shifts. It truly takes a small village! As our community needs grow, we are seeking more volunteers. If you know someone who would like to volunteer, please have them email us at chc@porchcommunities.org.