According to FeedingAmerica.org, 1 in 7 people and 1 in 5 children in North Carolina faced hunger in 2021. Yancey County is no exception. Continuing to address this issue, Partners Aligned Toward Health, Dig In! Community Garden, Reconciliation House, and TRACTOR Food and Farms coordinated efforts with over a dozen additional agencies to provide healthy, nutritious produce and shelf-stable food to children and families in Yancey County through the Summer Food program. Between June and August of this year, the program provided five weeks of food to 111 families, including 273 children. Food was provided via delivery to the homes of enrolled families, and via pick-up locations in coordination with Yancey County Schools. This year’s program was made possible thanks to 283 hours of volunteer time. This is the 10th year this program has provided and delivered local food to local families.
Deliveries to families included fresh and local produce that was grown and donated by Dig In! Yancey Community Garden, local farms, and TRACTOR Food and Farms–a true example of neighbors feeding neighbors. Shelf-stable items were provided through MANNA Food Bank by Reconciliation House. In total, the Summer Food Program delivered 10,693 pounds of dry goods and 7,237 pounds of produce to families. Thirty-six different varieties of fruits and vegetables were available, including beautiful fresh berries, tomatoes, green beans, squash, lettuce, and more. For the first time, students were also able to self-select produce of their choice to take home to their families. In addition to fresh produce and pantry staples, the deliveries included hygiene products such as soap, toilet paper, and feminine packs donated by Full Gospel Christian Church.
One participant said that receiving the Summer Food deliveries helped his youngest son like veggies. Now, he has to put green beans from the grocery store in a cardboard box as if it came from the food delivery in order to get his son to eat it. Another participant with multiple children in the house noted how useful the Summer Food program was for snacks while her children were home on summer break. “Snacks just don’t last with kids,” she added. She also mentioned how much they enjoyed the freshness of their snacks. Her kids ate from the produce box for snacks “instead of in a can or cup, they got a lot of fresh stuff which they don’t usually get.”
Not only did the program help to feed families during the summer, but it also allowed one participant to connect with her grandmother just before she passed away. “My (at the time) 90 year old grandmother came to stay with us in March,” she said, “she loved getting the produce boxes.” Her grandmother showed her how to fix the vegetables that came in the box, including making cornbread, cabbage, potatoes, and green beans. Every night her grandmother would roll her wheelchair into the kitchen and tell family stories while the participant cooked a meal for them from the Summer Food boxes. Although her grandmother passed away in August, she will cherish the memories that the Summer Food program gave them together.
The Yancey Summer Food Program received critical funding this year from Yancey County Government, The Yancey Fund, Mountain Air Community Fund, AMY Wellness Foundation, Ingles Corporate Giving, and generous contributions from the local community. This funding helped to meet the increased need for food due to the impact of COVID-19. This program would not be possible without the support of our funders, the participation of our many community partners and agencies, the dedication and time of our volunteers, and the skilled and invested coordination of the program Steering Committee, made up of Partners Aligned Toward Health, Dig In! Yancey Community Garden, Reconciliation House, and TRACTOR Food and Farms.
