The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina (the Food Bank) is committed to building solutions to end hunger for the diverse communities in our service area. We believe that food is a human right, and it is our job to ensure access to nutritious and culturally meaningful food that ensures communities thrive.

The Food Bank acknowledges that the root causes of food insecurity are poverty, unemployment or low income, lack of affordable housing, chronic health conditions or lack of access to healthcare, and systemic racism and racial discrimination. In ensuring no one goes hungry in central and eastern North Carolina, we believe and mandate that everyone, regardless of race; citizenship; religion; sex; ancestry; age; marital status; ability; sexual orientation, including gender identity; military, or veteran, status, deserves and should receive access to healthy, nutritious food. 

We know that current laws, policies, and practices purposefully extend opportunities to some while withholding from others and that historically marginalized communities have been most impacted by systemic barriers and experience the highest rates of food insecurity. We recognize that these gaps have been exacerbated by societal factors such as COVID-19 and that now more than ever, we must evolve to address systemic barriers in our communities. We see this as a collaborative responsibility for everyone in the hunger relief space. Hunger does not have to be our reality. We know that people with lived experiences with hunger are experts and leaders, and we are committed to centering our work around these communities. We are continuously immersed in advocacy and policymaking at local, state, and federal levels so that our elected officials are aware of their legislative impact on those experiencing food insecurity.

We are committed to using our equity lens internally and externally. Internally, we:

• formed an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) department and established staff committees focused on education, training, and equity within the organization.
• worked to create an inclusive environment in which all employees can work, thrive, and be respected as their full selves.
• completed a comprehensive equity audit to better understand the experiences of staff and are implementing a plan based on recommendations to promote EDI.

Externally, we are:

• implementing an EDI committee within our Partner Agency Advisory Council and
• seeking to strengthen our work with communities that have been historically marginalized, build workforce development, and source culturally meaningful food.

We see this as a continuous process and evolution with no true end. As we continue our journey to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion, we commit to holding ourselves accountable in action and in the revision of this living statement.