Join Aaron Keck every Tuesday afternoon for Chatham County Roundup, a recurring series that shines the spotlight on Chatham County through engaging discussions and interviews with locals, newsmakers, officials and more.
This week on Chatham County Roundup, join Aaron Keck for a conversation with Melissa Driver Beard, executive director of the CORA Food Pantry.
“We serve any resident in Chatham County in need of emergency food or resources,” said Beard. “We have been in business for about 31 years, started off serving just a few families every year, and this past year served well over 15,000 families in the area. So, we’ve really grown.”
The difference made by CORA in the lives of Chatham County residents has been made especially apparent during the last few months.
“As you might imagine, during the past eight months, we’ve seen the need skyrocket,” said Beard. “Just since March, we’ve served over 700 families who are new to us and have never had to ask for assistance or for food before. So, you know, it’s redefining the face of hunger and food insecurity and Chatham County, and I’m so pleased that we’ve been able to be resilient and that we’ve had the support of the entire community and that we’ve been able to meet the need of everyone that showed up at our door.”
Listen below for the full conversation, and tune in weekly for conversations about Chatham County happenings, people, news and more.
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