November 2021: The Latest from PORCH

• Franklin Street Yoga recently ran a food drive for PORCH! We are grateful for these partnerships with local businesses, bringing awareness to the issue of food insecurity in our community. The food collected will be distributed to local families. 

• “My mom first discovered PORCH when we moved to the neighborhood. One of my older sisters became involved in PORCH, then passed down the job of Neighbor Coordinator to my second oldest sister, and then to me. It’s a great way for me to be involved in my community, and I’m glad to do it every month.” Learn more about Elizabeth, who is a junior at Carolina Friends School, and the key role Neighborhood Coordinators play in PORCH’s success. Click here for the story.

• Innovation, generosity, teamwork, sportsmanship – this story has it all! Young PORCH supporters Alexander and Lachlan recently challenged a passerby in their neighborhood to play a game of HORSE. The passerby paid $6 after he lost upon finding out this friendly game of street ball was also a fundraiser for us! Way to go, guys!

• Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices held a food drive this month for PORCH. Linda Carol Davis Real Estate dropped off some of the food they collected. We so appreciate the support!

• We had a successful week of food distributions to 490 families (2,061 individuals!) in our fresh Food for Families program. Families received 40 pounds of fresh produce, eggs, milk, chickens, bags of nonperishable food, frozen Good Bowls, and $50 grocery gift cards. Based on our recent survey, 69% of our PORCH program participants have worried about getting enough food for their families in 2021. At this time of Thanksgiving, we reflect on our own access to fresh, healthy food and are so grateful for the many volunteers and donors who make our work possible. As one PORCH participant recently shared, “My heart is warmed by the generosity of the community.”

• A reminder as you make your turkey day preparations! When shopping at Weaver Street Market, tell them to round up to raise money for PORCH! This runs through Nov. 30.

• Tom Simon – a retired documentary filmmaker and television producer – donates his time and talents by taking phenomenal photos like the one above on a regular basis. He captures the spirit of PORCH’s volunteers, partners, and participants so well. During the height of the pandemic, Tom’s photo exhibit was hosted by The ArtsCenter. “Lifeline: Hunger Relief During the Pandemic” highlighted the work of PORCH and many other Triangle hunger relief groups. Thank you, Tom!

• Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston Chapel Hill and The Christine Khoury Team – Coldwell Banker HPW partner with us every year to distribute turkeys to families in our community. This year, they donated 50 turkeys for Thanksgiving! Our wonderful Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools social workers identified 50 families to receive these wonderful gifts. We are grateful for all of the people who come together to help our neighbors in need.

• Check out this kale stuffing recipe that our families received this month through our PORCH Cooks program! We distributed boxes of stuffing that people love to donate this time of year, and the other ingredients were included in November’s fresh food boxes.

• Special delivery! Delfina Mejia stopped by to drop off food that her unit floor, 8 Bedtower at UNC Hospital, collected for our PORCH families, along with a kind note. We are so grateful to Delfina and her hospital colleagues for their selfless work and generosity! 

• We had such a great time at this month’s Thanks + Giving Food Truck Rodeo and Non-Profit Showcase. Thank you, Chapel Hill Arts & Culture, for having us!

• The Chapel Hill High School PORCH Club designed and created beautiful greeting cards for the families in our fresh food program with messages for Thanksgiving. These students know how to bring joy to the world! 

• This holiday season, we want to offer our gratitude to Barbara Reed, an amazing woman who spent the past year knitting 150 colorful winter hats by hand. Along with her daughter Liz (one of our Neighborhood Coordinators!), she distributed those hats to our families last month, and the recipients were thrilled. This is the third time Barbara has knitted hats for PORCH, spreading a lot of joy in the process. Barbara can make one hat per day, she told us, “if I don’t have too many interruptions.”