For years when PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro distributed its food to participating families, its volunteers would have to pick up the fresh food a day or two before. The day of distribution, they would set up shop in a local parking lot — often at the Homestead Aquatic Center — and divvy up the food into bags that were given to the patrons.
But, as of Wednesday, the hunger relief nonprofit has a whole new system it is offering to the community.
PORCH opened its doors to its Community Hub at 202 South Greensboro Street in Carrboro on Wednesday morning. The space — part of a private-owned building that was formerly home to builder company and post office — allows for a market-style approach to distribution for those enrolled in the Food for Families program. Before having their first 300 customers of 700+ families showed up to begin selecting their food for the month, PORCH’s leadership held a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the help of the Chamber of Commerce and business partners who helped make the new space possible.
Executive Director Erin Riney described this move and step forward for PORCH one where “the possibilities are limitless” for further growing and evolving.
“This new Community Hub is so much more than just a physical building,” she said. “It’s a manifestation of all of our shared values and vision, and the collective strength and power in groups. I invite you to help us deepen our impact, and help us make even more connections to help make our community stronger and more resilient.”
PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro Executive Director Erin Riney speaks to gathered supporters at the official opening of PORCH’s Community Hub in Carrboro on Wednesday, Nov. 13.
People mill about the Community Hub minutes after the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The new space features produce stands, shelves for non-perishables, refrigerated items, and a loading bay for receiving donations or shipments.
The space is laid out like store, with produce lining windows toward the entrance, refrigerators for meat and dairy, and shelves of non-perishables and non-food items. Participants will still have a specific time each month to drop by the Community Hub, but will have more time and opportunities to be connected to other resources, according to PORCH communications manager Sofia Edelman.
“We had never had a base of operations before, and we never had a place that families could come to, that they could experience,” she told Chapelboro. “With the Hub, not only does it create a space where participants can make choices about the food they receive, but it also creates a space to come together. We’ll have community events here, we’ll have direct access to feedback all the time, we’ll be making such deeper connections with participants than we were able to [putting] food in their cars.”
Since getting started in 2010 as a neighborhood food drive, PORCH has provided more than $6.5 million in food and resources to parents and children in need. The model has been expanded and replicated to a dozen other states and 50 communities, each holding their own food distribution on a monthly basis. Beyond its Food for Families program, it also has programs that fundraise and donate to area food pantries, as well as provide snacks to students in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district.
But the Community Hub is a step further for the nonprofit, which is now looking at additional ways to team up with local partners to utilize its gathering space and extended face-to-face interactions with families. One example, as Riney announced on Wednesday, is thanks to a donation from Goldfish Swim School of Chapel Hill — which donated $28,000 of swim lessons to PORCH, which will coordinate with families in their program to also access free instruction.
The ability to stock food and offer more resources means an additional lift for PORCH’s volunteer team. The executive director said the nonprofit is expanding from having around 16 volunteer shifts each month to more than 120, and adding shifts for Spanish-speaking volunteers. The leadership team is not just setting its sights on addressing food insecurity; it is also attempting to better target racial disparities, socioeconomic inequity, and language barriers.
And having the Community Hub will better allow PORCH’s team to do all of that, said Riney — while remaining true to its founding principles.
“PORCH’s mission is to mobilize neighbors, build community, and provide fresh healthy food,” she said on Wednesday. “And we are going to be able to do all three even more in this space.”
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the amount of families served by PORCH and how many communities it has expanded to. Both of these have been updated to reflect accurate numbers.
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