The Hunger Problem
- Over 14% of adults and 20% of children in Orange County are “food insecure”, meaning that they lack sufficient food for an active, healthy life. Over 25% of children in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools receive free or reduced price lunch
- 75% of PORCH’s Food for Families clients report that they worry about getting enough food to eat on a regular basis
- According to research by Feeding America, hungry kids perform worse in school, are sick more often, have more social and behavioral problems, and are less prepared for the challenges of adult life
- Low-income families often cannot afford enough fresh healthy foods to support good nutrition. Diets high in fruits and vegetables are linked to lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and certain cancers
- Feeding America reports that millions of Americans struggle for sufficient food because of underemployment, stagnant wages, and rising housing expenses. They are often forced to make difficult spending tradeoffs to adequately feed their families.
PORCH’s Impact
- PORCH provides emergency food support to a diverse group of food-insecure people in the Chapel Hill and Carrboro community (Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, and Refugees from Burma, Syria, and Congo)
- Food for Families feeds children and their families a variety of highly nutritious fresh food that is not provided by other pantries or hunger relief organizations. We provide three overflowing bags of fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, eggs, and chicken along with one bag of non-perishables. Recipients report that the fresh food lasts an average of 10 days
- In 2017, Food for Pantries delivered over 7,700 bags of non-perishable foods to 15 local food pantries, for a total value of over $154,000
- 91% of Food for Families clients responding to our 2018 survey report using all the fresh food provided each month
- 91% of families report that the PORCH Cooks recipes help them consume more of the food
- 82% (compared to 51% at baseline) felt more confident eating foods they had not had before
Our Contribution
| Date | Volume (lb) | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 31, 2010 | 25,000 lbs | $50,000 |
| Dec 31, 2011 | 107,500 lbs | $215,000 |
| Dec 31, 2012 | 109,000 lbs | $218,000 |
| Dec 31, 2013 | 126,100 lbs | $252,200 |
| Dec 31, 2014 | 131,600 lbs | $263,200 |
| Dec 31, 2015 | 155,000 lbs | $310,000 |
| Dec 31, 2016 | 152,600 lbs | $305,200 |
| Dec 31, 2017 | 164,780 lbs | $329,560 |
| Aug 31, 2018 | 12,636 lbs | $25,272 |
| 984,216 lbs | $1,968,432 |
Testimonials
Here are some things clients have said about what Food for Families means to them:
“It means my kids get regular fresh fruits and vegetables they normally wouldn’t get.”
“It is very helpful for our family. It provides us with fresh fruits and veggies that we love and helps us stretch food out longer. It also provides extra snacks for my kids to take to school for daily snack. It also helps us to save money for us to use to pay bills, etc. Thanks!”
“Everything”
“It allows me to provide food for my family when I don’t have enough money or food to provide myself.”
“We wouldn’t make it through the month without it.”
“It means that we can eat more at home instead of going to the shelter to eat all the times.”