Neighborhood Coordinator Information

It always helps when a Neighborhood Coordinator has lots of personal connections with neighbors – experience shows that many more people tend to participate in monthly food drives in that scenario. That said, being a Neighbor Coordinator is a great way to meet new neighbors, especially for those families who have just moved into a neighborhood. Here are some other qualities that our outstanding Neighborhood Coordinators share in common:

• Provide honest and frequent communication with neighbors about the neighborhood food drives, including shout-outs to neighbors that go above and beyond the call of duty.
• Host events (lemonade stands, coffee gatherings to show the PORCH video, block parties) that build a sense of neighborhood and a shared cause through PORCH.
• Create a network of neighbors that can step in when the regular Neighborhood Coordinator needs to step out on occasion (due to travel plans, work commitments, family responsibilities, sickness, etc.)
• Have a passion for hunger relief that creates a ripple effect.

PORCH’s monthly food pick-ups are typically on Sundays and Mondays. (See Sort Dates here.) Due to work or family commitments, some Neighborhood Coordinators prefer to pick up food donations during the weekend prior to PORCH Mondays. That is absolutely fine!

PORCH tries to be as flexible as possible with the schedule, knowing that Neighborhood Coordinators are often handling the food pick-ups in between a million and one other tasks.

If you are delivering food on PORCH Sundays or Mondays (see our sort dates here), please drop off at Extraordinary Ventures (200 S. Elliott Rd., Chapel Hill). Neighborhood Coordinators may also email chc@porchcommunities.org to work out arrangements for a different drop-off location if needed.

Food may be dropped off at Extraordinary Ventures (200 S. Elliott Rd., Chapel Hill) on specific PORCH Sundays from 3-7 pm or on specific PORCH Mondays from 8-10 am. See our full list of sort dates.

A list of the most commonly requested foods by the local pantries served by PORCH:

• Cans of soup and stew
• Cans of tuna, chicken, or spam (low sodium, if possible)
• Cans of fruits of all kinds (low sugar, if possible)
• Cans of vegetables of all kinds (low sodium, if possible)
• Dried pasta and pasta sauce
• Healthy snack foods (applesauce, peanut butter crackers, raisins, peanuts,
  granola bars)
• Oatmeal and other low-sugar cereals
• Single-serving prepared meals (such as Hormel)
• Juice boxes
• Plastic containers of peanut butter and jelly
• Bags of rice (white or brown)
• Bags of lentils and beans of all kinds
• Macaroni & cheese

Please check the expiration dates on all donated foods. No glass containers, please.

Because PORCH’s mission is focused on hunger relief, we ask that donors only leave food or cash donations (which is used to purchase fresh food) on their porches. That said, once a year, PORCH donors are invited to leave new or gently used children’s books on their porches, which are then donated to our Well Fed, Well Read partner, Book Harvest. Donors are also invited to leave new and gently used jackets and coats on their porches from time to time, which are shared with the Karen/Burmese community that PORCH serves through its fresh food program.

All cash donations are used to purchase fresh food (fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs, and chicken) for the hundreds of local families served through PORCH’s Food for Families program. Through its partnerships with Weaver Street Market, Farmer Foodshare, Harris Teeter, Costco, Cliff’s Meat Market, and Transplanting Traditions Community Farm, PORCH strives to get the best produce at the most affordable prices – stretching your donations just as far as they can go.

Checks can be made payable to PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro and mailed to:

PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro
P.O. Box 16363
Chapel Hill, NC 27516-6363

Online donations can be made here. Please consider becoming a monthly sustainer!

All marketing items may be picked up at Extraordinary Ventures during monthly food drop-offs on PORCH Sundays and Mondays. Or you may email chc@porchcommunities.org, and we’ll be sure to get the items to you.

If you noticed there is an ebb in food donations from your neighborhood, here are some tips for increasing the flow:

• Once a year, send an email to all of your neighbors reminding them about this very simple way to participate in local hunger relief.
• Go door-to-door with PORCH brochures that include your contact information. We are happy to provide these materials.
• After each neighborhood drive, add a personal note to PORCH’s thank you email, recognizing your neighbors’ loyal participation. Pictures are a nice addition, too.
• From time to time, consider handwritten thank you notes to generous neighborhood donors.
• Put out your PORCH yard sign(s) each month. Two or three days before the scheduled pick-ups, this can remind neighbors that it’s time to purchase a few extra items at the grocery store to help restock the shelves of local pantries.
• If someone is new to the neighborhood, be sure to introduce yourself and tell them about PORCH!
• Reach out to us! We will brainstorm with you so that you can gain momentum in this vital work you are doing.

We have interviewed several of our Neighborhood Coordinators and told their stories on our blog. Some links:

Betty Davis

Elizabeth Kunz

Candice Goerger 

Pat Saling