Forget all that talk about how bad 2016 was. NourishNC crushed 2016! We have been, and continue to be, successful because of your willingness to act on behalf of hungry children in our community. It takes a village of volunteers, donors, school personnel, partner organizations, nonprofits, and other supporters to feed 709 children in 35 schools. We literally can’t do it without you. Here is what we accomplished together this past calendar year.
Added 100 Children to the Backpack Program: NourishNC ended 2016 by feeding 709 kids every weekend and over all school breaks! That’s 709 happier and healthier children in our community.
Increased Access by Adding 5 More Schools to the Backpack Program: More kids in more neighborhoods now have access to healthy food and fresh produce.
Provided Thanksgiving Dinner for 250 Families: Food is so much more than just nutrition. Food has many social functions and often lies at the heart of sharing traditions, celebrating, and bonding with others. The goal of our new Thanksgiving tradition is to ensure that every child on our program has Thanksgiving dinner with their family. Every family received a turkey, fresh produce, traditional sides, and recipes. Check out the news coverage here.
Continued our Culture of Financial Transparency and Accountability: NNC is dedicated to financial transparency and fiscal prudence so we invited Earney and Co. back to review our books for FY2016. You can read their report here.
Launched our Mobile “Farmer’s MarKID” Program: Our Farmers MarKID is a direct and hands on approach to improving the health of children in our community. We take free fresh fruits and vegetables to wherever kids need us: parks, playgrounds, after school programs, high need schools, and other nonprofits. Kids use NourishNC bucks to “shop” for farm fresh produce. Our first three MarKIDs provided 500 families with 7,465 pounds of deliciousness. Watch a video here.
Distributed 42,196 Pounds of Fresh Produce: We packed our kids bags and boxes with lots of fruits and veggies that contain a variety of nutrients like vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. You name it, our kids got it: apples, oranges, avocados, celery, squash, zucchini, kale, strawberries, grapes, potatoes, onions, peppers, broccoli, green beans, watermelons, pumpkins, tomatoes, bananas, cucumbers, etc.
Established Food Pantries and Supported Community Partners: NourishNC’s vision is to be everywhere hungry kids need us. With this in mind, we have established emergency food pantries at local schools and other nonprofits that serve children. We stocked these pantries with nearly $6,000 in food including 1,700 pounds of fresh produce.
We look forward to soaring to even greater heights with you in 2017 and beyond. Together, hunger doesn’t stand a chance. Thank you so much.
-Steve McCrossan, Executive Director
