Pop Up Markets

Most of the product that flows through the Food Bank is distributed by our network of partner agencies – over 600 food pantries, soup kitchens, after school programs and more who serve their communities directly. Despite their amazing work, there are still parts of our service area where food resources are difficult to access.

This is where Pop Up Markets come in. They are no cost food distributions facilitated by the Food Bank with no residency, income, or ID requirements to participate. Unlike traditional partnerships, the Pop Up Markets program is meant to provide flexible and temporary assistance across our service area. It can act as a bridge to partnership for sites, or as a supplemental resource for the community while the Food Bank works to grow our capacity in the area.

Pop Up Markets are primarily walk-up, client choice food distributions. We bring 8-12 pallets of food, mostly fresh produce, and serve an average of 200 families over the course of a 2-hour distribution. After a brief check-in process on our iPads with the assistance of volunteers, neighbors can grab one of our carts and select the items they know their family will enjoy.

Monthly Pop Up Market Schedule

TIME CHANGE: As we are getting into warmer weather, many of our locations have shifted to an earlier distribution time starting in May. Please double check the flyer below for specific start and end times.

Sandy Creek Baptist Church is now a Partner Agency with the Food Bank! The services provided will remain the same on 2nd and 4th Thursdays going forward, but distributions will be led by the church without Food Bank staff on site. They will be phased out of Pop Up Markets monthly schedules, but you can follow them on Facebook for updates: www.facebook.com/sandycreeklouisburg/

To download the distribution schedule, please click here.

Pop-Up-Market-monthly-2025-JULY-FINAL

Frequently Asked Questions

Pop Up Markets are no cost food distributions directly facilitated by the Food Bank. Most are walk-up, client choice distributions, with volunteers stocking tables from pallets of food and assisting neighbors throughout.  

No – come as you are! There are no income, ID, or residency requirements to receive assistance. We have a brief check-in process so that the Food Bank can track how many people are served. Phone numbers are collected at every distribution in the rare event of a product recall; you may also opt-in to join our text message list to be notified in the event of a schedule change.

We suggest bringing totes or boxes to make it easier to transport your groceries, but this is not required. Some boxes may be available from the pallets of food being distributed. We are not taking donations of grocery bags at this time. For walk-up distributions, we provide utility wagons that are used as shopping carts. For a drive-thru, volunteers load food directly into vehicles.

Everything distributed at Pop Up Markets is provided by our generous donors – farmers, retailers, manufacturers, and more. For this reason, the food we distribute varies based on availability; we cannot guarantee a specific product or quantity per household at any distribution. The most common foods we distribute include fresh produce, snacks, beverages, and retail bakery items. The Food Bank provides 8-12 pallets of food per distribution.

The Pop Up Markets team keeps a close eye on the forecast and avoids canceling or rescheduling distributions unless it is necessary. At some locations, we can change walk-up distributions to a drive-thru. If there is a safety risk for attendees and volunteers (thunderstorms, icy roads, etc.), we will cancel or reschedule distributions on a case-by-case basis. If you opt-in for text messages when checking in for a distribution, you will be notified of any cancellations or schedule changes at that location via text. We also will post any changes here and on our social media accounts.

The Pop Up Markets program has a limited capacity in terms of staff, transportation, and product availability. We utilize an equity lens and food insecurity data to identify underserved areas while the Food Bank works to grow our capacity. The Pop Up Markets program is meant to provide additional support for the Food Bank’s primary goal: supporting our Partner Agency Network. These are locally run food pantries, soup kitchens, and other organizations that partner with us to distribute food to those in need in their communities. If you are in need of food assistance, we highly recommend using the Food Finder tool on our website to find a partner agency near you.

Yes! Volunteers register for Pop Up Markets using the same platform as all other opportunities with the Food Bank. To sign up, visit “Volunteer at the Food Bank” and check out the listings for our Raleigh & Wilmington service areas. If you’d like to bring a group, please reach out to the respective Pop Up Markets Coordinator (contact information below).

If your organization is interested in hosting Pop Up Markets, you may fill out this interest form. Please read over the program requirements and information provided carefully before submitting. The Pop Up Markets program has a limited scheduling capacity, and distributions are intentionally selected in underserved areas. If you are looking to get involved in the short-term, please consider collaborating with a partner agency near you. This information can be found using our Food Finder.

Need Help?

Find an agency near you by visiting our food finder. You can search by zip code to see a full list of partner agencies in your area.

For More Information

Central Counties (Raleigh based): Cassie James, cjames@foodbankcenc.org

Eastern Counties (Wilmington based): Isa Bailey, ibailey@foodbankcenc.org