People In Need of Food
Thank you for your interest in wanting to help people in need of food across the state. Here are some guidelines and suggestions for your church to consider:
Pray
That goes without saying, be in prayer for our communities, state and nation. And for those on the front lines helping people.
Your Church First
As you look to provide food for those in need, please take care of your own congregation first. This is Biblical and the right thing to do. Also, the burden on the food bank network will lessen as you care for those in your church family. Run to the grocery store or pharmacy for your high-risk members, and be there for them. It’s a huge help in many ways.
Tap into the Food Bank Network
Feeding the Carolinas is the statewide network of the 7 Feeding America Food Banks in NC. Those Food Banks are essentially distribution centers, and connected to each are thousands of ‘partner agencies’, the church pantries, food closets, etc that are out in your communities. They receive their food from the food banks in a number of ways, as well as from the local community grocery stores, individuals, etc.
To find your local food pantry or nonprofit in your community:
On the contact info box for that Food Bank, there are 3 buttons:
- Donate: to give to the food bank, funds that are desperately needed
- Volunteer: to volunteer at the food bank, also desperately needed as our volunteers are typically in the high-risk category, older folks
- Find Food: this will take you to that food bank’s website to search for your local partner agency
I would encourage your church to partner up with that local partner agency to help – give, volunteer. They also can be a source of food for those in need in your church or local community.
Here are also some links about food safety:
Food Safety Information:
https://ehs.ncpublichealth.com/docs/covid19/FoodSafetyFlyer-032020.pdf
How to Safely Prepare Boxed Meals:
https://ehs.ncpublichealth.com/docs/covid19/BoxedLunchGuidance.pdf
These are uncharted waters for all of us, so please be patient with your local agencies as they are overwhelmed and understaffed.