by Steve McCrossan, Executive Director
WOW! What an amazing year 2017 was for NourishNC. Thanks to you NourishNC was able to expand our services at an unprecedented rate. With your support we are fulfilling our promise to be “anywhere and everywhere” hungry kids need us in New Hanover County. We now provide nutritious food to more kids in more places than ever before! Here is what we accomplished together in 2017.
Added 300 Kids to the Backpack Program: We now ensure that 1,000 kids have something good to eat every weekend and over all school breaks! That’s 1,000 happier and healthier children right here in our community! Watch this short video to learn why our Backpack Program is so crucial.
Increased Access by Adding 6 More Schools to the Backpack Program: More kids in more neighborhoods now have access to healthy food and fresh produce. Almost 10 years ago we started with 1 school and 20 kids. Now we serve 41 schools! Providing this kind of access to food insecure kids is only possible because of you!
Distributed 64,259 Pounds of Farm Fresh Produce: We packed our kids’ bags and boxes with lots of fresh fruits and veggies. We purchase all our produce fresh from the farm-no mushy leftovers for our kids. You name it, our kids got it: apples, oranges, celery, squash, zucchini, kale, strawberries, grapes, potatoes, onions, peppers, broccoli, green beans, watermelons, pumpkins, tomatoes, bananas, cucumbers, etc.
Distributed 12,589 Pounds of Fresh Produce at 11 Farmer’s MarKIDs: Our Farmers MarKID is a direct and hands on approach to improving the health of children in our community. We take free fresh fruits and vegetables to wherever kids need us: parks, playgrounds, after school programs, high need schools, and other nonprofits. Kids use NourishNC bucks to “shop” for farm fresh produce. See what a MarKID looks like here.
Provided Thanksgiving Dinner for 350 Families: Food is about so much more than eating and nutrition. Through food, we share traditions, celebrate milestones, and bond with loved ones. We wanted every child on our program to have Thanksgiving dinner with their family and the dignity of having that dinner in their home. Learn more here.
Provided more than 1,000 Break Boxes over Holiday Break: Without access to free lunch, school breaks can be tough for our kids. That’s why we provide every child on our program with 3 meals a day, milk, snacks, and fresh produce over every school break. Watch the news coverage here.
Added “Snack Packs” to our Pantry Pals Program: We saw a need, and with your help, responded to it. Lots of great after school programs and other nonprofits that serve high need kids, called and asked us for help. Kids often show up at these after school programs ravenously hungry. Junk food is often cheap and easy to come by but now these kids receive a snack pack when they come in: a juice and 3 snacks like dried fruit, a granola bar and cheese crackers. You can pack these at home-watch these kids making it look easy.
Continued our Culture of Financial Transparency and Accountability: NNC is dedicated to financial transparency and fiscal prudence so we invited Earney and Co. back to review our books for FY2016. You can read their report here.
We look forward to growing with you in 2018. Thank you & Happy New Year!
