PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro, a nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing food insecurity in the area, is set to open its first headquarters and client-choice food market later this year.
A release from the group on Thursday announced its plans for opening the PORCH Community Hub at 202 South Greensboro Street in Carrboro, across the street from the under-construction Orange County Southern Branch Library. The space — which the nonprofit began leasing in recent weeks — will be the first of its kind in PORCH’s 14-year history, serving both as a distribution site for its Food for Families program and a space for more interaction between clientele and the organization’s staff and volunteers.
The market will give people the opportunity to pick foods that are more culturally relevant or suitable for their dietary needs, according to PORCH, and will operate on a more flexible schedule than the distribution days and hours through the Food for Families program.
“We’ve asked our families for feedback, and we’ve heard them loud and clear — they would love to be able to select their own food,” PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro Executive Director Erin Riney said in the release. “We’re making this change to better serve our participants. Through the Hub, we can focus on forging deeper connections while prioritizing the dignity of choice.”
The Community Hub will also allow PORCH to offer a gathering and programming space for community members, saying the group plans to work partners and schedule pre-K registration events, English classes, and information sessions on affordable housing options in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. PORCH added that it plans to extend partnerships with groups like the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina and the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle to gather fresher foods at wider varieties. Despite having new overhead costs in the space, the nonprofit’s leaders say changes in the food source partnerships will not increase PORCH’s operating costs.
Since being founded in 2010, PORCH has provided millions of dollars in hunger relief to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community. Each month, the nonprofit distributes grocery support to more than 2,500 individuals across 663 families through its Food for Families program — which added up to more than 627,000 pounds of food given away in 2023. Its current model sees families driven to a distribution site on a designated day where PORCH gives out pre-packed bags of non-perishable groceries, produce, milk and eggs.
That current model, however, has required the nonprofit to be creative in how it stores and keeps the food before distribution. According to PORCH’s communications manager Sofia Edelman, non-perishable food is typically kept in a classroom at the Carrboro United Methodist Church and space is rented at Extraordinary Ventures each month to collect, sort, pack and store donations.
Riney said in Thursday’s release she looks forward to the PORCH Community Hub not only offering a space for patrons, but a space for the group’s volunteers. The physical location will require more shifts and provide a greater variety of roles to those looking to help with the nonprofit’s various efforts.
“Our mission is to mobilize neighbors, build community, and provide fresh, healthy food. Through the PORCH Community Hub, we will enhance the way we do all three,” she said. “We’ve worked very hard to find the right formula for growth and can’t wait for this new chapter to begin.”
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