In Response to USDA Cuts, PORCH communities call on local communities and local residents to support food pantries

Compiled By Michelle Cassell

Editor

CHAPEL HILL – In light of the recent announcement that the USDA is canceling federal funding for North Carolina food banks, PORCH Communities (PORCH), a non-profit organization dedicated to mobilizing and supporting local volunteers to create sustainable hunger relief programs, urges residents to join our grassroots effort to support local food pantries. With food insecurity on the rise and pantry resources strained, community-driven initiatives like PORCH are more critical than ever.

PORCH Communities, a volunteer-driven hunger relief organization, makes it easy for neighbors to help stock local food pantries through simple, monthly food collections. Anyone can start a PORCH in their neighborhood to collect non-perishable food and fresh produce, ensuring that families in need continue to have access to nutritious meals. 

With hundreds of neighborhoods across North Carolina collecting thousands of pounds of food each week, our team is prepared to help meet the need to increase food donations by training volunteer leaders across the state.“As federal funding disappears, it’s up to our communities to come together and support the organizations filling this gap,” said Christine M. Cotton, CEO of PORCH Communities. “We are available to every town in North Carolina, so we urge mayors, pantry directors, and other community leaders to contact us. A small effort—one neighborhood at a time—can make a huge impact in keeping food pantries stocked and families fed.”

How to Help:

• Start a PORCH Chapter: Organize a neighborhood food drive to support a local pantry. PORCH provides the tools and resources to make it easy.
• Donate Food or Funds: Support an existing PORCH chapter or local food pantry in your area.
• Partner: Sponsor a PORCH chapter in your area.

To learn more about how to launch a PORCH chapter in your community, visit www.porchcommunities.org.

PORCH Communities is a volunteer-led, grassroots hunger relief organization founded in 2010 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. What began with collecting a few cans of tuna for a local pantry has grown into a replicable model based on monthly neighborhood food drives run by hundreds of volunteers in more than 50 chapters across 13 states. Each PORCH Communities chapter receives guidance, support, and the opportunity to positively impact their community. To date, PORCH has provided more than $15 million in hunger relief at the local level. To learn more and join the fight against hunger, visit www.porchcommunities.org

Michelle Cassell is a seasoned reporter who has covered everything from crime to hurricanes and local politics to human interest over the course of 35 years. As Editor, she hopes to encourage writers of a wide range of backgrounds and interests in TLR’s coverage of Southern Orange County news.