Food Bank & Community Fund

Firsthand Foods and the Food Bank Team Up to Fight Hunger

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In March of 2020, we partnered with the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina to address the issue of hunger in North Carolina. The Covid-19 pandemic had just sent children home from school and shut down restaurants, and everyday life as we knew it changed. One year ago, we didn’t know how long the pandemic would last, but we did know that we needed to find a home for our farmers’ pasture-raised meats. It made perfect sense to help the families and communities affected by pandemic shutdowns. Through the creation of our Community Fund last March, we were able to donate more 2,500 lbs of nutrient-dense protein — an often lacking necessity — to our local food bank.

Since then, the problem of hunger in North Carolina has only grown. The News & Observer, citing a recent NC State University Study, reports that more families than ever are experiencing food insecurity, with 7.6% of respondents saying “they often worried about having too little to eat, a figure that more than doubled during the pandemic months.” A recent article from Carolina Public Press sums up the issue in a single headline: “Losing ground against hunger in NC: 20% less food donated, 68% more need.” And the Food Bank, our Community Fund partners, report a 38% increase in need across the 34 counties it serves — including Durham, Orange, and Wake.

For the past 10 years, Firsthand Foods has worked to create a local, sustainable food system. This many people experiencing hunger in our immediate area hits close to home. That’s why we’re launching another Community Fund drive, with the aim of raising $10,000 for the Food Bank of Eastern and Central NC. ALL proceeds will go directly to the Food Bank in the form of healthy proteins. 

We’re all tired of the pandemic and anxious to return to our “before” lives, none more so than the families for whom the problem of hunger isn’t going away. More and more of our neighbors are still relying on federal assistance, food pantries, and the goodwill of friends and family just to put food on their tables.  

Your cash donation to the Firsthand Foods Community Fund goes directly to the Food Bank. Consider these numbers: 

  • Just $5 (the cost of a latte) provides enough ground beef for a family of four for one meal.
  • $25 will provide 18 children with a nutrient-dense source of protein.
  • $50 provides enough pork to create pulled pork and heart-warming soup stock for 25 people.

To donate, click the PayPal button below, send a check (made out to Firsthand Foods) to PO Box 586, Durham NC, 27702, or find us on Venmo at @FirstandFoods-CommunityFund.

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