In the last several years, the Food Bank has become more intentional in seeking partnerships with organizations that work to empower systemically marginalized communities. This includes programs to reach Latinx, Indigenous, and rural communities with not only fresh and nutritious food, but culturally meaningful foods.
The pandemic has impacted so many people, and it is even more important for the Food Bank to collaborate with partner agencies that could reach diverse populations. One such partnership is with the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry (EFwM) in Dunn, North Carolina. “When it comes to food distribution, we are serving at least 250 people, every two weeks. Usually in the time in between distributions, we have to put some food together for families that can’t make it to the next distribution. We couldn’t do it without the Food Bank, that is impossible,” shared Juan Carabaña, a Program Coordinator with EFwM. The partnership with the Food Bank has allowed EFwM to serve more people.
Another piece of connecting with the Latinx community is making sure the food they receive is culturally meaningful. We don’t want to deliver food that folks had never used before to prepare meals, so we wanted to be intentional with the food we were giving. The most recent step toward distributing this food is a partnership with eight Wake County agencies to receive boxes of nonperishable food to the Latinx community. About 450 boxes are provided each month and include items such as canned chicken, canned beans and corn, tortillas, rice, and cereal. Tri-Area Ministry Food Pantry in Wake Forest is one of the agencies seeing the benefits of distributing more culturally meaningful foods.
Board Chair Michael Burger says, “Through our partnership with the Food Bank, we are now able to offer a variety of food items which are more desirable. Our clients are appreciative of our efforts to provide them with foods which are familiar.”
We continue to learn and implement ways to make the Food Bank more accessible. People from all communities and all walks of life experience hunger, and we are working to be reflective of the community we serve in. With your help, we are working to provide stability, sustenance, esteem, and to restore hope.
This piece also appears in our 2021 Impact Report which you can view in full here.
