By Steve McCrossan, Executive Director
You made this past year one of the best ever. Because of your generosity, NourishNC was truly able to expand on our vision to be “anywhere and everywhere” kids need us. With your help, we found more direct and innovative ways to provide nutritious food to children right here in our community. Thank you for your willingness to act; none of this is possible without you. Here is what we accomplished together:
Launched the Toddler Tummies Program: NourishNC is feeding our community’s most vulnerable toddlers right inside their home! NNC partners with other nonprofits which serve children and families. Case managers from these partner agencies deliver nutritious food to the homes of 1-4-year-old children who are under resourced and food insecure. Each child also receives a “prescription” for lots of fresh food!
Voted “Best Nonprofit”: We were honored to be recognized as 2019’s “Best Nonprofit” by Encore Magazine. Whether we get recognized for it or not, the NourishNC team is committed to constantly improving our services, our organization, and ourselves. Make sure to vote again this year-nominations open January 16th.
Started the Food Farmacy Program: We are now feeding kids right inside their doctor’s office! NourishNC partnered with our friends at NHRMC to launch this exciting and innovative program. Children are screened for food insecurity during their appointment and those who are struggling with hunger are immediately provided with a box of non-perishable food containing more than 25 strategic meals. Each child also receives a “prescription” for 15-20 pounds of fresh produce, meat, eggs, and wheat bread.
Purchased a New Van: NourishNC wants to VANquish hunger! We used funds raised at our 2018 gala to purchase this beautiful van. You can see the van in action at our Farmers MarKids, which take farm fresh fruits and veggies right to schools, parks, and playgrounds. The kids love it! We also use it for “Stuff the Van” events and to transport the food our kids have come to count on.
Serving More Kids in More Schools: The Backpack Program now serves 1,145 kids from 50 schools! Your donations make sure these kids are well fed every weekend and over all school breaks. We ended 2019 by distributing “Holiday Break Boxes” to our kids. So many parents were relieved that the cupboards wouldn’t be bare over the holidays.
Continued Our Culture of Fiscal Transparency and Accountability: NNC is dedicated to financial transparency and fiscal prudence so we invited Earney and Co. back to review our books for FY2019. You can read their report here.
Please feel free to call or email me for any reason. I love hearing from supporters like you. Also, make sure to be on the lookout for some exciting news later this year. Let’s continue to do great things together!
Thank you for your support.
